Ghost Files 4 - Transitions
by DarkPoltergeist
Summary: With a brand new future in front of the both the Mulders and the Greggs - a chance to live their lives the way they've always wanted to, they find some unexpected problems as Daniel transitions back to being human; and Scully transitions into the reality of a second baby on the way. **This story is more evenly divided between GAMM and the X-Files**
1. Chapter 1

**Ghost Files 4-Transitions**

 **By Dark Poltergeist**

 **Chapter 1**

The lack of warmth prodded at Carolyn's subconscious as she opened her eyes and she saw the other side of the bed was empty. She sighed, unhappy that Daniel was absent from their bed yet again in the early morning hours. She looked at the clock and groaned when she saw that it said 4am. She swung her legs out of bed, stood up and put on her light robe. She then looked out at the balcony and saw him standing there, leaning over the rail, staring out at the dark sea.

She opened the door and went outside to join him, noting he was already dressed for the day. She shivered as she stepped up to him and placed gentle hands on his arm. He must not have heard her at all, because he jumped and then took a deep breath to collect himself.

"I'm sorry if I woke you," he said.

"You didn't. I woke up because I found myself alone in bed." She didn't add the word they both left unsaid.

Again.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Really."

She studied him with concern, knowing that he wasn't telling her everything. She squeezed his arm and waited for him to meet her gaze, when he did he couldn't hide the pain in his blue eyes.

"Daniel, please talk to me."

He shook his head.

"After all the years we've had together, after everything that we've been through, what can possibly exist that you can't talk to me about?"

"Carolyn, you don't understand…"

"Then help me to understand."

He allowed his fingertips to graze her cheek and she leaned into his touch.

"I've missed that," she gave him a mournful look. "Except for a chaste kiss and sleeping in the same bed, you've hardly touched me since you became human, since everything was reset…"

"Carolyn…"

"I need to know why. Chaste is something that vanished a long time ago when you learned to be corporeal."

He dropped his hand away from her face. "My apologies, my dear." He paused. "This transition to becoming a living person is more difficult than I anticipated."

"How? Why?"

He shrugged and moved past her to the doors and into their bedroom.

"Daniel? Where are you going?"

"I need to walk," he said and strode across the room, leaving the Master Suite and shutting the door behind him.

Carolyn stared at the door and tried very hard to stifle the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes.

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Unable to sleep any longer, but not wanting to wake his wife, Mulder gently removed himself from her arms. It was early, early enough that he had time to go out and see the sunrise from a great vantage point on the cliffs. He got dressed and quietly exited the bedroom.

He stretched out and had only jogged a little way down the road towards Gull Cottage when he spied a familiar figure walking up the road towards him. He jogged up to him and stopped.

"Danny, what are you doing up so early? And here?"

The Captain regarded his friend with amusement. "I have always been an early riser, too many years at sea. And as for here, why not?"

"Are you looking for me?

"Why would I do that?"

Mulder fell in step beside his friend. "Anything I can help with?"

"Not sure," the Captain said as they walked along the cliffs.

"Danny, I can be a good friend, give me a chance."

The Captain laughed. "Fox, though I am reluctant to admit it, because I pride myself on being entirely self-sufficient, I do need friends. My family and now, you and…Dana."

"Still not comfortable with saying another woman's first name, are you?"

The Captain shook his head. "Despite the fact that I am here and miraculously alive, I am still a product of the times I was born in."

"She doesn't mind, you know. She considers you and Carolyn family too."

"I realize that but…

"It's okay." He stopped as the Captain walked out to the edge of the cliff and looked out into the ocean. "I used to stand here when I was in port and admire my ship. The sweet lines, the sheer beauty of her because she was mine."

Mulder cautiously walked over to stand by the Captain who eyed him with concern.

"Careful, Fox. If you fall off the cliff this time I won't be able to save you."

"Danny, I don't make a habit of falling off cliffs," he huffed but walked very carefully and stood a few steps back from the edge. "You loved the sea, didn't you?"

"Aye, there was nothing to compare to it. The feel of the deck beneath my feet, the roll of the wave, the salt air, knowing I was in command, and the pride at controlling my own destiny. It was freedom beyond measure and I couldn't contemplate trading it for anything." He expelled a breath and closed his eyes, lost in the memories.

"Not even a woman?"

He turned and regarded Mulder, a smirk on his face. "There were many women, Fox. Possibly not as many as I first led Carolyn to believe, but still a considerable number."

"I'd wondered about that since you have a way with the ladies, but you're so devoted to Carolyn."

"I did not know her in my time."

"Do you think you would have if you hadn't died?"

"Do you mean reincarnation?" The Captain appeared a bit skeptical but shrugged. "So much has happened that even I can't explain despite all that I've been through. It could be, I suppose."

"Does that mean that you believe in aliens too?" Mulder grinned.

The Captain grumbled but didn't deny anything.

Mulder placed a hand on his friend's shoulder for just a moment. "What's bothering you, Danny?"

He gave a short laugh and shook his head. "Being alive again, it's overwhelming. I had thought that I would be overjoyed, astounded beyond reason, grateful to have my life back…"

Mulder frowned, not sure he was following his friend's line of thought. "And you're not?"

"I am, but I am…overwhelmed." He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. "Completely and utterly. You have no idea how it feels to come back from the dead…"

Mulder swallowed and gave the Captain a very somber look. "I wasn't dead as long as you, but I do have some experience in that area."

The Captain met his friend's gaze and nodded. "Of course, you do. My apologies, Fox, I had quite forgotten."

"No problem, I do my best to forget about that part of my life too." He said quietly.

The both stared out at the ocean for a few minutes.

"How did you deal with it?" the Captain asked at last.

Mulder snorted. "I didn't, at least not well. Of course, when I became aware of being alive the first person I saw was Scully. She was tired, exhausted but there by my bedside and I was so relieved to see her. She was my only reason to keep living, the only thing that kept me sane during my abduction when those bastards were experimenting on me, drilling holes in my head, opening my chest…"

A hand suddenly fell on his shoulder and surprised, he looked into the Daniel's compassionate blue eyes.

"Fox, enough."

Mulder took a deep breath and tried to refocus. "Right, you're right. Anyhow, the next time I saw her I realized she was pregnant, very pregnant. I had no idea how much time had passed, and I didn't know how to deal with it. I was an ass. Really, I was. I don't know why she put up with me."

"You didn't believe the child was yours?"

"Hell no. When I was taken I didn't know she was pregnant. When I returned I had no idea how long I was gone, it could have been years." He struggled to speak, taking a deep breath. "I couldn't stand it. Coming back from the dead was hard enough, and then to find out that my partner, the only woman I can ever truly love, was miraculously pregnant and had moved on without me. Overwhelmed. Completely. Utterly."

After a few moments, the Captain spoke. "Well, I have always wondered why she puts up with you," he said drily but with a smile.

"You're not the only one. Sometimes I think she must be a saint…"

"As is my Carolyn."

"They shouldn't put up with us."

"Agreed, but it's a damn good thing for us that they do."

"So yeah, Danny, I get it. At least, near as I can tell, you haven't been an ass about it."

"True but I've been aware of what's going on, not suddenly pulled from the ground like you were."

"What's so hard, Danny? Fess up."

"Everything. Human senses are completely different from ghostly senses, which are more a product of using one's mind to manipulate things. It is the ability to control one thing exceptionally well." He frowned. "Human senses are different. The mind is one piece of a larger whole which also consists of emotional and physical pieces. And that doesn't even include human senses." He frowned. "I can barely get used to one sense when another one rises within me." The Captain appeared more skittish than Fox had ever seen him.

"Deep breaths, Danny, deep breaths. What are you feeling?"

The Captain laughed but it was an unhappy sound. "Anxiety, heart pounding, short breaths…"

"That's anxiety all right. But why?"

"Are you dense? It's because I'm human! I thought I would be happy, instead I am at odds with myself." He gave his friend a pleading look. "I know how to be a powerful spirit, but I no longer know how to be a man."

Mulder studied the Captain as he bowed his head and looked more lost than he had ever seen him.

"Danny, you just need to take one thing at a time, which means you should be somewhere you're comfortable, probably at home."

He shook his head. "No, Carolyn's there."

"I don't understand, why is that a problem?"

"She thinks I'm normal, that I've embraced being human again and that I'm fine."

"Because you gave her that impression?"

"Yes, I didn't want her to know that I'm having…difficulties."

"I think you suffering from a form of PTSD…and I have some experience with that as well. Post-traumatic stress disorder, it was probably called something different in your day, it's mostly associated with veteran's returning from a war." Mulder sighed and looked at his friend. "I'm sorry. Just like Carolyn I thought you'd jump back into life. It never occurred to me that it might be difficult." He cautiously looked at the cliff but stepped towards his friend anyway. "I'll help you out if you'll let me."

"How? Why?"

"Wow, you really aren't used to having friends, are you?" I will help you because we're friends, and I will help you because I can." He paused. "You're like the rest of us mere mortals now and are forced to communicate with words. I think you need to tell Carolyn."

The Captain snorted. "Like anything about the lot of you is mere."

"Well, we are a special bunch," Mulder agreed with a smirk. He paused and inclined his head back in the direction of his house. "It's a tad early for a drink, but…"

Daniel held up his hand. "Thank you, but no. Just as you say, too early."

"Can you run?" Fox asked, appraising him. "You look in reasonable shape, but…"

"I never ran much."

"No time like the present to learn. It might do you good. If not running than I suggest you take up some other sort of physical exercise. It's a great release as you well know and helps to work out all kinds of stress."

"Yes, I'm aware of the value of physical exercise."

"It will let you get acquainted with your new body all over again."

"But running?" He frowned.

Mulder shrugged. "Try it, if you don't like it there's lots of other things."

The Captain swallowed and appeared to have as difficulty speaking. "Will you help me, Fox?" he asked in such a low voice that Mulder almost didn't hear.

"Help you what, Danny?" Mulder wasn't sure what the other man was asking.

"Help me to be human again…"

The Captain asking for help of this sort was huge, and the fact wasn't lost on Mulder. "Danny, I'll help you in any way I can, you already know that." He grinned at his friend.

"Thank you."

Mulder nodded. "Do you want to learn how to run now?"

"I know how to run," Daniel said, scowling.

"Not long distance, I bet. Do you have some jogging sweats?"

The Captain's brow wrinkled. "Sweats?"

Mulder laughed. "I'm taking you shopping later, you can't run in those," he indicated the Captain's form fitting slacks. "Too tight." He shook his head and laughed. "Come on, back to my place. I'll loan you some sweats so that I can give you your first lesson in jogging."

The apprehension on the other man's face was clearly visible.

"Trust me, please."

After a tense moment, he unclenched his jaw and nodded, and the two men turned to walk back to Mulder's nearby house. 

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 _AN: As always, I love to hear back from you. Reviews are awesome - always!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

They came back from their jog two hours later as the sun was coming up, tired, sweaty, but feeling good despite that.

Mulder looked over at the Captain who seemed more at peace than he had earlier in the day. Feeling the other man's gaze on him, he frowned.

"Yes?"

"Nothing, just wondering if you're feeling better?"

"Yes, I am." He drew in a deep lungful of air and released it, then offered his friend a smile.

"Running's good for that. Feel free to join me anytime."

"You run in the mornings?"

"Usually, sometimes with Scully, but more often not." He grinned at his friend. "She'd rather sleep in the morning and run in the evening. I sleep better than I used to but I'm still up before her so…"

"So you run."

"Yeah, gives me a chance to think and get myself in order for her."

"What does that mean?"

Mulder grinned at his friend. "That I'm a mess, or that I can be. Too much baggage, things…going through my head. I get myself in order while I run, she does it as she wakes up It seems to work well for us."

The Captain looked at Mulder as if he had suddenly turned into an elephant.

"Danny, what? Don't you and Carolyn have down time?"

"Well…that is…I've never thought about it."

"I find that hard to believe," Mulder said as he opened the gate and they entered his front yard. He began stretching out and nodded for the Captain to follow suit. "You need to stretch out or you'll regret it tomorrow."

The other man complied, and they stretched in silence for a while.

"What do you and Carolyn do?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"For down time? Separate time? I mean you've been together for a while now."

"I have never put thought into it. Except when we were fighting we have always been together."

"Always?" He stopped stretching and regarded his friend. "No one is always together."

"Always. It was different as a spirit, we were in many ways connected on a more spiritual and emotional level. Our hearts and minds were intertwined."

"Wow. That couldn't have left much room for privacy."

The older man frowned as he stood up and stopped stretching too. "No, but that worked for us." He flushed Mulder a smile that quickly faded. "But now…"

"Everything's different, yeah, I get it." He paused. "Danny, did you ever have a long-term relationship while you were alive?"

"Rather," he shifted his gaze to the ground.

"What does that mean?"

"I was engaged once, and she broke it off."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It wasn't right, and things worked out for the best."

"Was it physical?"

"Good Lord, no. In my day it would do the woman great dishonor to have pre-marital sex." He seemed offended.

"So, your physical relationships?"

"Were consensual affairs and nothing more."

"Which means that as a man you've never had a complete relationship, including sex, with your significant other."

The Captain looked like he was ready to punch Mulder but answered anyway. "No, I have not."

Mulder studied him until the Captain began to scowl while under his scrutiny.

"I need to think about this."

"What does that mean?"

"That I'll get back to you on this once I mull things over…"

"I didn't ask for help on this aspect of my life."

"You don't need to, and…you're welcome," Mulder smiled.

The Captain glared at the other man as he pulled himself up to his full height. "How dare you…" he began but stopped abruptly when Mulder's front door opened, and Scully stepped out looking entirely too cheerful.

The lady of the house couldn't contain her surprise as finding the Captain in her front yard along with her husband, both tired and sweaty, the Captain dressed in an old pair of Mulder's sweats and a grey T-shirt.

"Mulder," she said and walked down the steps and into his arms to place a happy good morning kiss on his lips.

"Mornin' Sunshine," he said, making a sound of pleased contentment before releasing her from his arms.

She patted his cheek as they exchanged a happy look and then she turned her attention to her guest who had discreetly turned away.

"Captain? What are you doing up and about so early? And in Mulder's clothes?"

The other man gave her a sheepish look. "He persuaded me to go running with him and I didn't have any appropriate clothing…"

"So, I loaned him some of mine," Mulder finished.

"For which I'm most appreciative."

Scully grinned at him. "Well they fit, sort of. You've definitely got a different build from Mulder though."

"We need to take him shopping."

"Fox, I hardly think that will be necessary."

"Nonsense, you need running, or exercise clothes that fit your right." He looked over at his wife. "Scully can help, she's great at picking clothes. She dresses me all the time," he exchanged a mischievous look with his wife.

"We could go shopping," Scully agreed, not quite sure what she was walking into.

"I need to clean up," the Captain said, looking for an out clause.

"You can shower here, your clothes are inside anyway," Mulder said with a head nod towards the house.

The Captain weighed his options and acquiesced after a few moments. "Very well," he said and walked past them into the house.

"What was that about?" Scully frowned at the doorway and then looked back at her husband who was chewing his lip, lost in thought.

"He's having a tough time adjusting to being human, I'm trying to help him."

"But that's what he wanted."

"Yes but think about it. He was a ghost, a spirit, for over one hundred and fifty years, that's a really long time. His original life span lasted almost forty years before that. He was a ghost for a lot longer than he was alive."

"Having is not as good as wanting?"

Mulder shrugged. "Something like that. But think about this, Scully, he was a powerful ghost, he could do some amazing things and now he's just…human."

Scully grimaced. "And very limited. I guess that could be a problem. And human senses must be very different from ghostly senses." She paused. "Why doesn't he tell Carolyn?'

"I don't know. Manly pride, maybe?" He shrugged. "I'm trying to help."

Scully laughed.

"I'll try not to take that personally," he gave her a worried look.

"Oh, poor baby." She inclined her head back at the house. "Think you can handle the shopping?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I haven't seen Carolyn since we were all given our lives back a week ago, and I think I should check in on her. Oh, and don't tell the Captain we talked. I think it would make him uncomfortable."

"Good point."

"We're meddling, you know?"

"Yeah, but for a good cause. Besides, they've meddled in our lives…"

Scully laughed. "Fair is fair, I guess." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him again. "I'm going to grab my purse and leave the two of you to your manly pursuits."

When she turned he slapped her on the butt which earned him an amused scowl.

He sat back on the porch to wait for the Captain.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was a lovely morning and Dana sat in a chair on the porch by Carolyn, a small table between them on which their coffee cups rested. Carolyn was unusually quiet, and her coffee remained untouched. Scully cleared her throat and Carolyn started and then gave her a sheepish smile.

"Dana, I'm sorry. You must think me a poor hostess."

"No, not at all. Just a friend who has something on her mind."

Carolyn nodded and finally sipped her coffee for a few moments before setting it down.

"Dana, can I confide in you?"

"Anytime."

"It's Daniel. Something's wrong with him but I don't know what it is. He won't talk to me."

"Men!" Scully huffed, and Carolyn laughed.

"Yeah, men!"

"Maybe he just has to work through something."

"Well, that's probably true. It's just that I'm so used to sharing things, sharing everything with him. But since he's become human, I can't."

"What does that mean?" Scully's brow wrinkled in puzzlement.

"We could connect on more levels when he was a spirit…with a lot less work. Now he has to talk and verbally share his thoughts and feelings and he seems to be having trouble doing that."

"Oh, that's hard."

"Yeah, he's keeping things to himself."

Scully sighed, understanding that need all too well. "Maybe he's a different man when he is human than he was as a ghost?"

Carolyn gave her a frightened look. "That's what I'm afraid of."

"I don't understand, why?"

"What if he's so different that I don't know how to be with him, so different that he doesn't know how to be with me?"

Scully smiled and took Carolyn's hand. "You two have the most incredible love that I have ever seen. I think you both need time to adjust to the changes that this will bring, and he may be a different man in his actions, but not fundamentally. Fundamentally you know who he is."

"And who would that be?"

"The man you fell in love with."

Carolyn laughed, giving her friend a grateful look.

"You're right of course."

"And we all thought this would be easy for him. Maybe it's not. Maybe being a mere mortal has a downside that we never thought of."

"I hadn't thought of it that way." Carolyn sighed. "But you could be right. So, patience?"

"I think so, don't you?' Scully gave her friend a squeeze and then retrieved her coffee cup.

"Yes, I just have to remind myself and give him some space." She looked at her friend. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. What are your plans for the day? I have a free day and would like to spend it with someone other than Mulder."

"Well, since Daniel has been spending copious amounts of time by himself I have time as well."

"Then, lunch later? Maybe shopping?"

"That would be great, but let's finish enjoying our morning first."

Scully nodded, and the two women set to the task of finishing their coffee.

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The local bar was just starting to get busy as Mulder and the Captain sat at a table, perusing the menu.

"The food's not bad for a small-town bar. Scully likes the soup best, they make it fresh every day." He looked across the table to the Captain who was staring out the window. "Danny, pick something to eat or I'll pick something for you."

"You've become quite the mother hen, haven't you?" He scowled at the other man.

"Can't help it, Scully's taught me well."

"Very well, I'll have the…fish sandwich."

"I'm having a big, juicy pub burger. And I'll get us a round of beer. Do you have a preference?"

"Hardly. I've barely been out of the house since…"

"Got it. This is a good start then."

The waitress came by and Mulder placed the order as she left their complimentary popcorn. Mulder studied the Captain who scowled at him from across the table.

"Why so cranky, Danny. Relax. We're out alone, the wives are at home and we can talk and relax. It's all good."

"It's not that simple."

"Why not? It can be. You have to at least start."

"Start what?"

"Living. It seems to me you've forgotten how to do that. Which means you have to learn it again."

"And you're going to teach me that?" The Captain gave him a bemused smile.

"It won't be easy, but yeah. I'm going to drag you back kicking and screaming to the land of the living."

"You sound determined."

"I am. I've been in a bad place when I couldn't believe in anything or anyone. I'm going to get you through this."

Daniel chuckled as the beer arrived and he took a long draught. "You almost make me believe I will get through this."

"Do you want to?"

"Of course." He took another sip of the beer. "I remember this, the taste, and texture of beer." He made a face. "Though this is a poor excuse for a beer."

"What do you like? Dark, or red? I know of a pub that has a better selection in a nearby town. We can go there."

"You'd like me to go with you?"

"Why not? We're friends, we can use time away from the women, and Scully can't go now. At least not for the beer."

"Ahh, yes. That small detail."

Mulder tried to hide the grin that spread across his face and looked down at the table.

"Fox, there's no need to hide your joy."

Mulder couldn't help himself, he laughed, actually giggled, and bit his lip.

Daniel chuckled too and reached across the table and gave Mulder's arm a quick squeeze. "Congratulations again. How do you feel about it?"

"I don't know. There's been so much to take in the last couple of weeks, that this small detail hasn't set in yet. But, I'm happy and so is Scully." He shrugged. "Having William back was more than we could hope for, but now we're together again as a family, and have been blessed with our youth, and to add another child is incredible…"

"I'm happy for you."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Well, because of that weird time paradox you're now Candy and Jonathan's biological father too. That's great but has to feel kind of strange."

"I'm elated, but my mind has not completely wrapped around the idea. My love for them hasn't changed one iota though. But the fact that I left Carolyn alone to raise them…"

"Time travel is a bitch, isn't it?"

The Captain made a disgruntled noise.

"Has it occurred to you that you and Carolyn have a do over as well? You're both young and alive. You can live a normal life and start a family of your own."

Daniel looked up from his beer and over at Mulder and grimaced.

"Danny what? That's bad? How can that possibly be bad?"

"You don't understand."

"You're right, I don't understand. Tell me."

The Captain chugged his beer and wiped his mouth, and the waitress chose that moment to bring their food to the table. After she left Mulder stared at the Captain.

"Danny? Talk."

"I don't want to. Is that what is expected of men in this era? To talk about their feelings?" His voice rose ever so slightly in anger.

"Yeah, welcome to the modern world."

"But a man doesn't talk, he has to be strong."

"And that doesn't involve sharing your feelings with those you love?" Mulder snorted. "You sound like Scully."

"She doesn't talk?" The Captain raised an eyebrow.

"Let's just say that it took her a while." He dug into his hamburger and after swallowing continued the conversation. "I think you must be that part of the equation between you and Carolyn. But even with that, I still don't get it. You two have been talking for years."

"But not like this," the Captain took a bite of his food and then pushed the plate away.

"Like what? One human to another?" Mulder took another large bite of his burger, clearly enjoying it. "Better get used to it."

"I have no choice, do I?"

"None. So, get over your stiff upper lip and start talking to your wife, or at least me."

"You in no way resemble her," Daniel rumbled.

"I think that's a good thing, we would all be rather disturbed by that." He finished the burger and smacked his lips in appreciation. "Really good. You should have finished your lunch."

"Are you always so…chatty?" The Captain scowled at his friend.

"You hadn't noticed?" Mulder laughed. "I think Scully intentionally sends me on errands sometimes just so she can have some peace and quiet."

Daniel couldn't help himself, he laughed at his friend.

"That's better." He grinned at the Captain. "Lunch is my treat, but I need you to go home and do something."

"What's that?"

"Talk to Carolyn. At least start. Tell her your fears, she'll understand. She's a very compassionate woman."

"Yes, she is, she is remarkable."

"You'll start with that?"

"Yes, I will."

Mulder nodded. "Good, really good."

"I'm glad you approve," the Captain said, amusement in his voice.

"But don't get too comfortable," Mulder warned with a devilish grin.

"Fox?"

"I'm picking you up tomorrow and we're going out for a man's day."

"I beg your pardon, what?" Daniel blinked at his friend in confusion.

"You know, two guys hanging out, doing guy things…"

"With you?"

"I'll try not to resent that," Mulder said in an offended voice.

Daniel studied his friend, quietly wondering what kind of a man's day out that the two of them could possibly have together?

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The Captain arrived home late afternoon and walked up to the porch where he sat down, preparing to talk to Carolyn. It should be the most natural thing in the world, but here he was, learning to talk to his wife all over again.

 _What in the hell is wrong with me?_

He was sitting there a half an hour later when she came out to him. He heard the door open and he could sense her hesitation, but after a few moments she cautiously approached and sat down beside him. He offered her a weak smile.

"Hi," she said.

"Hello, Carolyn."

"You've been gone all day."

"I was talking to Fox."

"You must have had a lot to talk about," she tried not to let the hurt tone creep into her voice, but he noticed.

"Well, as much as I ever talk to anyone."

"But Daniel, you've always talked to me," she said, and he saw the hurt in her eyes.

He swallowed, unsure of how to answer her. "I know," he said at last, "and I am truly sorry if my actions of late have caused you pain, it's only that…"

"I think I get it. You're having trouble with being human again."

He nodded.

"I don't understand, I thought this is what you wanted. To be human, for us to have a life together…"

"It is, oh, Carolyn, don't for a moment believe that I don't want this, but I didn't think learning to live again would be this…difficult….

"But why is it difficult? I mean you managed it, rather successfully, I may add, twice when you were time travelling."

"Well, the first time was hardly my fault if you recall," he studied her with fond eyes, "it seems a young woman who was kind enough to take care of me also took advantage of me while I was not myself. I was there and then back in the present and faced with a new problem."

"But the second time?"

"I was on a mission to save Jonathan, and even with that, had you not agreed to our…tryst…I do not think I could have completed what was…necessary. I still did not have any time to adjust to…this," he gestured to his now human body.

Carolyn moved over so that there was no space between them, so that the sides of their bodies were touching, and although he tensed up, he didn't move away.

"Do you still love me?" she asked, and he couldn't stand that he had put the doubt in her voice and in her eyes.

"How could you doubt that? After all we've been through together?" He said softly.

"This last week hasn't been very convincing, but I guess I never stopped to consider that this could be difficult, that it would be hard for you to go back to something you've been away from for so long." She sighed and placed her hand on his arm. "You're asking for time?"

"Yes, my dear. Please allow me that."

"Okay."

"I will try….to talk to you more often. I did not realize how much I relied on our spiritual communication until it was gone."

"And now you're a mere mortal."

"Fox told me that as well." He chuckled.

"All right, then I will try to give you some space and time as well. But you have to agree to something."

"What?" Daniel's brow wrinkled in concern.

"This," she said and leaned over and kissed him. A sweet, chaste meeting of the lips that was filled with love and promise.

"Ahh, that much I am capable of at this point. As I can do this as well," he said and opened up his arms to her and pulled her close.

"Thank God, Daniel. I've missed you so much."

"My apologies, my love. I will find my way back to you, but I need…"

"…time, yeah I know." She smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss before pulling away from him.

He looked at her in curiosity.

"I'm making dinner and need to get back to it."

"You are?" he tried to mask his concern as they both knew he was the better cook.

"You can wipe that look right off your face, mister, as I'm making the stew that we both like so much."

He laughed and then remembered something.

"My dear, I think I will be gone for the day tomorrow?"

"Oh? Doing what?"

"I am not exactly sure. When Fox dropped me off he told me that we were going to have a 'man's day" out tomorrow. Whatever that means," he rubbed his chin, still puzzling the matter.

"Fox is taking you out for this?" Carolyn laughed. "Somehow I don't think I have anything to worry about…."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Mulder loved to hear Scully laugh, really, he did, but he preferred that it not be at his expense. He crossed his arms in front of him and glared at his wife.

"Why is this so funny?"

"Oh, Mulder, I'm so sorry, I don't mean anything," she said but couldn't stop laughing.

"I'm taking Danny out for a man's day…"

Scully began to giggle again.

"You are insulting my manhood and I don't think I like it."

She tried to control herself and managed to stop laughing though she couldn't stop the grin that was still on her face.

"I don't mean to….that is…"

Mulder was giving her his best pouty face and she broke into laughter again.

"I don't understand what is so funny. Yeah, me and Danny. A man's day out in the world," he said his anger rising.

"Yeah, that!" Scully turned away

"Stop it already!" He stalked across the kitchen and pulled his still giggling wife to him, holding her tight. "I'll make you giggle if you're so intent on laughing!" He began to nuzzle her neck in earnest, causing her to laugh harder. "Surrender!"

"Never!" She squirmed against him.

"Surrender!"

"Mulderrr…" she threw her head back as he bit it softly, her laughter rapidly turning to a new emotion.

"Now what was that about me not being man enough to spend a day with Danny?"

"It's not that. It's just that you're…distinct kinds of men…"

"And?" He continued his gentle assault on her neck, slowly starting to unbutton the buttons on her blouse.

"And I'm not sure…that your…idea of a man's day is the same as the Captain's…"

"You really think I'm not…manly enough?" he opened her blouse to reveal a silk lacy bra and cupped her breasts within his hands.

She rubbed up against him and felt his arousal. "I think you're more than enough…" she breathed into his ear and then opened her mouth to him. He kissed her fiercely and thrust his tongue into her mouth and she moaned.

"Mulderrr…."

"Scuuully…"

"Mom! Dad!' the small voice whined from the doorway.

Mulder and Scully froze where they stood, and slowly released each other's face and lips from one another. Scully gulped, knowing that she couldn't turn around to look at her son given her state of undress.

"Will?" Mulder cleared his throat. "I thought you were playing."

"I was until you got too noisy."

"Too noisy?" Scully murmured and gave Mulder a scolding look.

"Yeah, I could hear you. You were…excited!"

Mulder and Scully exchanged a horrified look, and Mulder turned around, shielding Scully from William's sight as she rebuttoned her blouse.

"What did you hear?" Mulder asked his son who looked up at him innocently.

"Not with my ears."

"Will! You're not supposed to be listening in."

"I didn't mean to, but you were loud!"

"But you can do some things to block us out, right?"

"Yeah, I just wasn't expecting you and Mom to….to be all lovey!" The boy said in a frustrated voice.

"Sorry Will. It's just that your Dad and I love each other," Scully said with a bright smile as she turned around.

"Yeah, I know." Will folded his arms in front of him and scowled at his parents, looking for all intents like a small version of Mulder.

Scully bit her lip and tried not to laugh as she looked at Mulder who had assumed the same exact pose. She walked over and knelt in front of her son. "You know that listening to people's minds is wrong, don't you?"

"Yeah," the boy uncrossed his arms and nodded, "I know. But I couldn't help it! I can hear you think about kissing each other and hugging…"

"Stop!" Scully raised her hand, not wanting to know if Will could hear the rest of their adult thoughts.

He looked at his mother and father with a glum expression. "I don't like it either."

Mulder knelt beside his son. "What do you need to be able to block us?"

"I don't know, just telling me maybe."

"You just need to know that we need…private time?" Mulder asked.

"Yeah, Dad. I think that would work."

"And if you block us out it won't matter what we do?"

"Nope. And I won't hear you!" He smiled happily.

Mulder smiled across at Scully. "Think we can remember that, Scully?"

"Pretty sure we can, Mulder." She ruffled Will's hair, and he gave her a reluctant smile. "I don't want to educate you at too young of an age…"

"But Mom, I…"

Mulder put a hand over Will's mouth. Will and his Dad exchanged a long look and after a few moments Will nodded.

"Will?" Scully quirked an eyebrow at her men.

"Nothing, Mom." He sighed. "Can I go now?"

"You won't listen in?"

"Really? You need private time now?"

"Yeah, I need to talk to Mulder…your Dad."

A brief expression of relief flitted across the boy's face. "Yeah, sure. I won't listen."

"We'll come get you for dinner."

"Okay," he said and left the kitchen going back to his toys.

The two adults looked at each other and laughed.

"Damn, Scully," Mulder grinned like a Cheshire cat. "What a boy!"

"Yeah, well don't get too excited. That's rather inconvenient, don't you think?"

"Maybe, depends what we do," he said with a twinkle in his eyes as he helped her to her feet and pulled her close again. He placed a loving kiss on her lips and for just a moment she rested her head against her chest. Then she pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"We need to finish our talk."

"About what?"

"About your man's day with Danny? What will that consist of?"

"Oh, that." Mulder eyed her with suspicion but saw no trace of laughter.

"I know you won't go sailing."

"God no!" Mulder blanched remembering the occasion when the Captain had taken him sailing with a hangover.

"Or fishing?"

"No, not at all what I had in mind." He rubbed his chin. "I know we're different but there are some basic traits that all men have in common."

"And what would they be?"

Mulder smirked. "Men love women, at least most men, and for certain Danny and me."

"Which means what?" Scully looked amused again. "That you'll go drinking?"

"Well, yeah, that," Mulder shoved his hands in his pockets, shifting uncomfortably.

Scully folded her hands in front of her and looked him in the eye. "Mulder, are you planning to take him to a strip club?"

He bit his lip. "I hadn't decided, but it did…cross my mind."

"Why would you do that? He's devoted to Carolyn, even if they have hit a rough patch. And you're devoted to me, aren't you?"

"Do you have to ask?" He stepped into her space again.

"Then why would you do that?"

"It's like this, I think he's forgotten what it is to be a man. And by that I don't mean all the pretentiousness or posturing that the male of the species tends to do; those are usually layers of bullshit."

"Here, here!"

He continued, ignoring her. "I think he needs to connect to what he is again at a basic level. And trust me, Scully, things don't get much more basic than a strip club."

"And what would you be doing?"

"Chaperoning him. Reminding him of what we are, and that on our most basic level we are attracted to beautiful women. We often have basic biological urges that we cannot control. And you're a doctor so don't tell me you don't know that."

"Umm, I do know that, but it doesn't mean I approve of this plan of yours."

"Approve? Maybe not. But do you understand it."

"Yeah, I guess. You're trying to get him to reconnect with the biology of being a man again."

"Right, because once he does that and accepts that's the physical part of who he is now I think it will be one less thing for him to struggle against. I think he's putting too much pressure on himself to want to be physical with Carolyn…"

"…and he's just not ready." Scully sighed. "I just never thought this would be an issue."

"Neither did he, or any of us."

"Well, I don't approve, but I understand…sort of." She wrapped her arms around her husband. "But if you do anything while you're there you're a dead man," she whispered into his ear.

He stared after her as she tossed a smile his way and walked out of the room.

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They stood outside of the Master Suite and stared at each other. After a few moments, the Captain took Carolyn's hand and held it within his own, turning it over and then he kissed it tenderly.

"Goodnight, my dear."

"You aren't coming to bed?" She inclined her head to the open door of their bedroom.

"I am indeed going to bed, but…not with you. Not tonight."

"But…" Carolyn looked so forlorn that Daniel felt his will tested, but he had to remain resolute as he wasn't ready to resume relations yet with his wife.

"I'm sorry, my love, but I am not yet…ready. I shall be staying in the guest room until I have come to terms with my new existence."

Carolyn gave him a sad look but stepped into his space and wrapped his arms around him, holding him tight. He stroked her hair, lamenting the fact that he was so at odds with himself. She finally sighed and stepped away from him but not before placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Am I permitted to tell you that I love you?"

He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Yes, just as I am permitted to tell you that I love you now just as I always have." He sighed and brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. "This circumstance is unforeseen, and you have my sincere apologies."

"We'll get through it, we always have, and we always will. And now we truly do have the rest of our lives."

He nodded. "Oh, and I will be leaving early in the morning as Fox is stopping by to pick me up."

"For your man's day out?" Carolyn couldn't help herself, she giggled just a little.

"And what, pray tell is so funny?"

"Just the thought of the two of you spending a man's day out and about together. You are very different types of men."

"Yes, the thought had crossed my mind as well. But he thinks he can help, and he is a psychologist and in today's world I am led to believe that kind of thing may be helpful to someone such as me who is having unexpected…difficulties…adjusting to life."

"Hmm, maybe. Well, you can tell me about it when you get home tomorrow." She offered him a dazzling smile. "While you boys are out Dana and I might have our own day."

"That sounds like an excellent plan." He paused and bowed to her. "Goodnight, my love."

"Goodnight Daniel." She stared after him as he walked down the hall and entered the guest room. "Blast!" She muttered and entered the Master Suite.

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 _AN: Ahh, Poor Daniel. But things will get better! With a friend like Mulder he simply has no choice. Thanks for reading and I hope you're enjoying this last entry. Thanks for reading!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The fingers that softly crept up Scully's side and drew lazy circles on her back was making it impossible for her to sleep. She rolled over on her other side so that she was facing her husband and gave an exasperated sigh.

"Mulder!"

"What? Can't sleep?" He chuckled quietly.

"Yes, and you know why!"

"Because I'm so attractive that you can't keep your hands off me?" He ginned at her and she couldn't help but laugh.

"That's not it…at least not entirely. It has more to do with those busy fingers of yours."

"What, these?" his fingers began creeping along her side again.

"You're very annoying, you know that, right?"

"Thank you," he said and allowed his hand to wander to her breast where he massaged it gently. "How's that? Good?"

"Yeah… good," she sighed and closed her eyes.

After a few moments, he spoke again. "Soo…Scully…I was wondering…"

"What were you wondering?"

"Have you taken a test?"

"What test?" She frowned and looked at him.

"You know…" he allowed his hand to come to a rest on her belly. "A pregnancy test."

"Oh, that," she huffed out a puff of air. "No, not yet."

He studied her quietly.

"What?"

"Don't you want to know if Sucellos was right or not? I mean he should be, given the power and knowledge that he has, but what if he's wrong?"

"Yeah, Mulder, what if he's wrong? What then?" She laughed.

"Then you wouldn't be pregnant."

"And?" She pushed, trying to find out what he was getting at.

"And…we wouldn't be having another baby," he said in a sad voice.

"Mulder, the idea of another baby means that much to you?" She put out her hand and laid it against his cheek.

"Yeah, Scully, it does. We have a mini-Mulder, now I want us to have a small Scully."

She laughed, but it was a delightful sound. "I want to wait a couple of weeks before I pee on a stick."

"Why?"

"Because it has a better chance of being accurate."

"Oh."

"And if I'm not, it's okay."

"How can you say that?" He frowned.

"Mulder! Look at us! We're young again, we've been given a gift. We have all these developed feelings about each other with our youthful restored bodies. We have plenty of time to have a family, even if we're not having any more additions now."

"So that's why you're so calm about this?"

"Yup." She grinned at him.

"How many kids do you want, wife of mine?"

"I don't know, it was never something we could talk about before, was it?"

"Well, it is now, so you'd better start thinking about it." His hand began to wander, and he pushed her on her back.

"Mulder?" She arched an eyebrow at him.

"What? No time like the present, is there? I mean, just in case you're not." He said and deftly removed her panties as his fingers began to massage her inner folds.

"Oh, Mulder…." She purred and laid back to let him worship her.

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The next morning was grey and it looked like rain. The Captain got out of bed, got dressed and made his way downstairs. Though it was early he knew enough to start the coffee so that it would be ready for Carolyn when she got up later. That done, he scowled at his attire. He was dressed in the all too casual navy-blue sweatpants and sweatshirt that Fox had deemed appropriate for him. He told him some nonsense about how it brought out the blue in his eyes and he would be sure to attract the ladies even while he was working out.

As if that mattered to him.

The only woman he wanted to attract lie asleep upstairs in their bed, and he was unable to have a normal relationship with her.

 _Blast and damn!_

He assumed he could just fall back into being human again, clearly, he had not thought this out. How was it that he was more comfortable being a spirit than he was being a man? Fate was unkind, there was nothing fair about this in the least.

He felt his senses suddenly sharpen and the hair on his arms stood on end, and he knew a spirit would appear shortly. He folded his arms in front of him and waited. He hardly blinked and Sucellos stood before him. He offered Daniel a smile and brushed the lint off his coat.

"Good morning, Daniel. Nice to see you up and about." He appraised the Captain's clothing and shook his head. "Though your choice of attire leaves a bit to be desired."

"Not when one is exercising. Then it does not pay to wear remarkable clothing."

"I suppose you're right. You're looking well."

"Perhaps, physically," the Captain said.

"What does that mean?" The smaller man raised an eyebrow.

"I think you know exactly what it means." He expelled a long breath. "Why didn't you tell me that being human was going to be so hard?"

"Me? Why didn't I tell you?" Sucellos regarded him in amazement. "Daniel, it is hardly my place to tell you that. And as for the degree of difficulty, I had no idea it would be so hard for you to transition back to a normal life."

"But you had an idea?"

"Yes, I did."

"Why was it so easy when I was time travelling?"

"Two things. You were intent on a mission and didn't have time to think about this. And two, I put a filter up for you so that you could accomplish what you needed to do. And you barely managed at that. Poor Jonathan may never have been born again had I not done that."

"Well, for that I am grateful, but…"

"But what? You wanted to be human and have a life with Carolyn, and now you have that. I do not understand the problem."

The Captain swallowed and gathered his emotions together, speaking only then. "The problem…is that I don't know how to be human anymore."

"Daniel, what surprises me is that you are surprised by this. All told, you spent at least three times as long being a spirit as a human over the course of your existence. Why would you think you could easily go back to this?"

"But damnit! Carolyn…"

"Will wait for you." The smaller man walked across the room to the Captain and laid a hand on his arm. "Daniel, find what works for you. Find out what you like to do and do it. It will give you comfort and help you to understand."

The Captain studied his ghostly friend for a moment more before he spoke. "Will you help me?"

"If I can, I do have limitations as to what I am allowed."

"We still have to decide what we want to do as far as future careers in this new life, correct?"

"Yes, that is true."

"My knowledge of the sea and sailing is from the past; can you update that so that I am current. So that I have as much knowledge about current ships as I did about past ships?"

"Well, yes, I don't see the harm in that. I suspect that will also help you to discover what you want to do in this life?"

"It's a definite step, yes."

"Very well." The smaller man pressed two of his fingers against the Captain's forehead. " There. Give it a day or two and you should have all the knowledge you need. Though you did have some basic knowledge to begin with as you had a small business I believe."

"Yes, some modern knowledge, but not enough to make an informed decision as to if this was something I should pursue."

"Do you think she will allow it?" Sucellos inclined his head towards the ceiling.

"That is a discussion between Carolyn and I."

"Very well." He stepped away and spared the Captain one last look. "I will be back in a week or two to check on the lot of you. You need to decide what you want to do with your lives. The choices you can make will expire in a short while."

"We know, Sucellos. Thank you for your patience."

The old spirit offered Daniel the ghost of a smile. "Good thing I like you, Daniel, or else you'd be in serious trouble."

"I know, and I am most grateful."

"Good. I'll be on my way then." Sucellos nodded and disappeared.

Daniel rubbed his chin, falling deep in thought. He was standing there some moments later when he heard the soft knocking on the front doors and left to meet Fox outside for their morning run.

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The day spa was something to be relished, Carolyn thought as her massage was completed and she got dressed. She went out to the bright dining area which offered many choices for a healthy lunch, placed her order and then looked for Dana. She was sitting near a window which permitted a lovely view of the lush green grounds.

"Carolyn, there you are!" Dana waved her over and offered her a million-watt smile.

"You're certainly in a good mood!" Carolyn laughed as she took the seat across from her friend.

"And why shouldn't I be? It's a beautiful day outside, I'm here with a great friend, and I've had a massage that is to die for." She sighed happily. "And no men."

Carolyn laughed again. "Yes, I think we needed a break too. It's not a terrible thing that they went off to do manly things."

Scully giggled. "Yes, well, the idea of Mulder teaching the Captain how to be a man again makes me giggle!"

Carolyn chuckled and soon they dissolved into one of those unexplainable fits of laughter where simply looking at each other brought them to fits of giggles. After a few minutes their food arrived and wiping their eyes they finally began to calm down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean any offense," Carolyn grinned at the other woman, "it's just that they're so…"

"…different?" Scully smothered a giggle. "Yeah, I gave Mulder some crap about that too." She expelled along breath and gave Carolyn a serious look. "But he is a very talented psychologist and always has been, it's how he got his nickname, "Spooky Mulder". He had an uncanny knack for getting into the head of dangerous killers, which made him 'Spooky'."

Carolyn gave her an ironic smile. "You do appreciate the irony of that nickname in context to Daniel, don't you?"

"Can't miss it."

"But that must have been terribly hard for Fox."

"It was. He became so involved in the cases he worked that he began to think like the killer, live like the killer." She shivered. "I've seen him struggle to keep his mind intact and not become the killer he was profiling, but somehow he kept himself separate. It was spooky, and not in any way that was funny."

"How did he get out of it?"

"He couldn't take it anymore and back then he had made a name for himself, so he left. Took on the X-files." She shrugged. "And you know the rest."

"Mostly."

They both began to eat their salads.

"Oh, I know I've said it before, but congratulations again."

"Congratulations?" Scully echoed in puzzlement.

"Dana," Carolyn gave her a reproving look.

"Oh, that." Scully seemed uncomfortable.

"Oh, that? Dana, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I just haven't followed up with a test yet."

"Why on earth not?"

"It's only been two weeks since Sucellos said it was a possibility."

"He didn't say it was a possibility, he said that you were pregnant."

"Yeah, well…" Scully concentrated on her salad.

"I don't understand, I thought you'd be ecstatic." Carolyn's eyes mirrored her concern.

"So, did I," Dana said. She pushed her plate away. "I'm afraid to verify it."

"Why?"

"Because then it's all real. Then I have to accept that there's a baby on the way."

Carolyn gave her a puzzled look.

"And hope that this time everything works out." She shook her head. "I'm scared, Carolyn. Nothing has ever worked out well for Mulder and me."

Carolyn reached across the table and squeezed her friend's hand. "But you're still together."

"Yeah."

"And you've found William."

"Thanks to you and the Captain." She gave her friend a rueful smile. "We've barely gotten used to that. And now a baby?"

"What's really bothering you? It isn't Fox, is it?"

Slowly, Dana nodded.

"He loves you, he's devoted to you. You don't doubt that, do you?"

"No, but love isn't always enough, is it?" She sighed. "I hate that I have these doubts. I just want us to be a happy family.""

"You don't think that's something he can do? You don't think he can start over?"

"I don't know if he can be a family man, he's always been devoted to chasing after life's unexplained mysteries. I don't know that he can stop."

"I understand more than you know." Carolyn sighed and pushed her plate away from her. "Now that Daniel's human I'm afraid that I'm going to lose him to his other great love."

"The sea?"

Glumly, Carolyn nodded. "He's newly alive again. I never knew him when he was alive, only as a spirit. And as such he couldn't go sailing away from me, could he?"

"But now he can," Scully nodded. "I get it. Fine pair we are. You think the Captain is going to sail away and leave you behind, and I'm afraid that Mulder will be unable to stop looking in the darkness and leave me behind."

They remained silent for a while, each lost in thought.

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The day had been long and busy, skipping from one event to another. After their morning run they both showered up and changed into casual clothes, Fox grabbed his car keys and pointed the Captain to the passenger seat of the new minivan.

The Captain strapped himself in and glanced over at Mulder in amusement.

"What?" Mulder asked.

"Nothing. I didn't realize you had gotten a new vehicle. Your choice surprises me."

Mulder snorted. "Yeah, me too. Never thought I'd see the day. I own a damn minivan."

The Captain laughed. "And what prompted this momentous decision?"

"Well, I hate to admit it, but with us having William and another one on the way it seemed a practical thing to do."

"Ahh, you have confirmed Sucellos words? He is correct then?"

"Well, I'm not completely sure."

"What do you mean?"

Mulder shrugged. "Just waiting for Scully to take the test."

The Captain hesitated, unsure of what to say.

"It's okay, Danny. She just needs some time. Life altering changes rattle her and she needs some time to cope. She'll be fine."

"And what about you? What if she's not pregnant?"

Mulder shifted and met his friend's gaze and shrugged. "I would be…disappointed but hopeful."

"Hopeful?' Daniel quirked an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Yeah, hopeful. We're young again, our lives are our own. We have time." Mulder sighed contentedly, and then grinned. "Just wait. I bet you'll get a minivan too."

"That would imply that Carolyn and I will have children."

"Won't you?" Fox gave him a look as he started the car.

The Captain made a non-comital noise and looked out the window.

Not wanting to press his luck, Mulder found a local radio station and settled into silence.


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: Hey all, a warning for you. If the thought of either the Captain or Mulder at a strip club offends you, then you should not read this chapter. It is done to prove a point which Mulder does at the end of the chapter._

 _Please remember that I write adult fiction and these are two adult couples that love each other, so there will also be sex scenes from time to time, but nothing graphic (please see my stories under "M" for warmer stories). If that bothers you then this is probably not the AU series you want to read._

 _Thank you for following this series, and I value all of your feedback, all readers are appreciated._

 **Chapter 6**

The two men sat across from one another at a table in a busy restaurant in Portland, Maine. The red checkered tablecloth and single candle created a slightly romantic atmosphere and Mulder grimaced as he looked at the Captain who was regarding the décor.

"This looks like a delightful place to bring a date. Is there something you would like to tell me, Fox?"

"Sorry, when I read the restaurant review this is not what I thought it would be like. It said it was a busy, well established restaurant with marvelous seafood. It didn't mention the ambiance."

"Hmm. Well if the meal is good perhaps I'll add this to my list of appropriate places to which I can bring Carolyn."

"That's a good point. Scully does like seafood."

Their order arrived, and the young woman gave them a knowing look and sighed, clearly disappointed by what she interpreted their status to be. "Here are you orders, and I will check back to see if you need anything else."

"Thank you, my dear," the Captain said, and she sighed again.

Mulder couldn't hide a grin and turned away.

"What is wrong with her?" The Captain asked, seeing her disappointment.

"She's unhappy that we're taken."

"How on earth would she know that?"

"Not like you would think." Mulder paused and leaned forward. "Look around, Danny and think about it."

The Captain regarded the area around him and observed the fine woodwork, the stone floor, the quiet tables with both a candle and a flower on them. And he observed that almost every table was occupied by a couple that leaned across and touched each other's hand and spoke in intimate whispers. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Fox.

"You mean they think that we're…you and I?"

Mulder grinned and laughed at the Captain's scandalized expression.

"Relax, Danny. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? But they're wrong! We are both with beautiful women."

"True, but no one else knows that." Mulder's eyes twinkled with mischief. "Besides, all we need to do is to tell them that we're brothers."

"Brothers? What in hell are you talking about?" Daniel's eyebrows were practically scowling on their own.

Mulder just looked at him until it registered.

"Oh, that. Sucellos's rewrite."

"That would be it. Besides, look at it this way, wouldn't you rather let people think I was your brother?"

The look that the Captain gave him had caused many deckhands to cower in terror. Mulder simply cracked his crab leg and met the gaze of his friend.

"I suppose," the Captain grumbled. He began to eat his meal, subtly commenting on the various selections as he sampled each one. He was able to distinguish which spices were added to what dish, and deemed many superb, but one inferior.

"Danny, how would you make that crab cake better?"

"Why that's easy, more crab, less filling, and a firmer filling with a more flavorful but subtle sauce. It shouldn't overpower the seafood."

"That's a great idea," Mulder nodded, chewing his food. "You sound like you know a lot about cooking."

"I should. I've been doing it for the last seventy years or so."

"Do you like it?"

"Actually, yes, I quite enjoy it."

"Is eating any different now than before?"

"Rather. It's like everything has a hundred percent more flavor. I can taste the subtle nuances and flavors that I had missed before."

"Is it like that with all of your senses now?"

With a sour expression on his face, the Captain nodded at his friend.

"Are you done analyzing me, Fox?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Not really, we're not done with our day yet."

"We're not? You took me to see a modern naval vessel, which I may point out I had done before…"

"Yeah, but had you seen that ship?"

"No, I was restricted by distance."

"Did you like it?"

"Yes, I did. It's quite amazing what all the modern technology has achieved."

"Did you feel out of place?"

"What do you think?" Again, the scowl. "Anyway, as I was saying, we have had a full day. We ran this morning, we toured the naval vessel, we had lunch. We went to the fitness club, which by the way, I did enjoy."

"You liked lifting weights?"

"Quite. That is something I would like to pursue."

"We can work that out."

"And now we are having dinner. All in all, I think we have had a very full day and I am ready to return home."

"Nope." Mulder finished his meal and pushed his plate away from him. "We're not done yet. In fact, I think we may have reached the most important part of the day."

"What could possibly be left?" Daniel pushed his plate away from him too.

"I need to take you out for drinks. And we can get as shit faced as we want. I already told Scully about our night out and I'm sure she'll tell Carolyn."

"But what if I want to go home?"

"Not gonna happen until we're done." Mulder grinned at him.

"You mean I can't go home?" The Captain's voice held and undercurrent of anger.

"Nope. We have to drink and be entertained."

"Entertained? What in the world does that mean?"

"You'll find out soon enough, Danny." Mulder waved at the waitress to bring the check over to their table.

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The strip club was just filling up when Mulder finally convinced the Captain to go into it with him. The Captain sat down, his posture stiff, and his expression closed. Mulder sat down in the chair next to him where they could both watch the stage from about ten feet away. He watched his friend survey the patronage with a disdainful expression.

"Danny, don't tell me that you've never been to one of these places?"

"I have experienced something similar in my day."

"Been on the straight and narrow for a long time, huh?"

"I didn't have much choice. And even if I had it would not have mattered, for I do not want to stray from Carolyn's side." He fidgeted in his chair. "We should not be here."

"It's okay, we won't get in trouble. I cleared it with Scully."

"This is a common occurrence for you? I did not think Miss Scully would allow such a thing."

"She doesn't. This is an exception and falls under our look but do not touch clause. She understood my rational."

"Which is what? You feel that I need to see all manner of tawdry women prance about in next to nothing?"

"Something like that," Mulder signaled one of the tawdry waitresses dressed in a bikini as she walked by the table. "Two shots for me and my friend."

"Sure, honey." She eyed the two of them and licked her lips as she sauntered away.

Mulder leaned over and watched the sway of her hips as she walked away. "Nice!"

"Mr. Mulder!"

"Don't Mr. Mulder me. Relax, enjoy the show." The Captain scowled and crossed his arms in front of him and leaned back against his chair. Mulder sighed and leaned over so that he could talk to his friend. "Danny, whether you realize it or not, the point of this is to prove you are a man."

"Of course, I'm a man! I've never heard anything so ridiculous!"

"But do you remember what it is to feel like a man? Do you remember how a man reacts on a purely physical level when he sees a beautiful woman?"

"There is no need for this."

"I think there is. It will help you get in touch with yourself." Mulder smirked. "No pun intended."

The Captain's eyes narrowed, and Mulder saw just a glint of amusement before it disappeared.

"Look, here are our drinks. Just drink and enjoy the show."

"I only have to watch?"

"You only have to watch. We have women at home that will kick our asses if we do anything else."

"Very well, we will drink, stay a brief time, and leave."

"Agreed." Mulder slammed his drink and watched as Daniel did the same. Two more shots were soon on the table.

The lights blinked and dimmed a couple of minutes later. The spotlight came up on a long, dark haired woman in a revealing pink bikini. She went over to the pole on the stage and began to caress and gyrate seductively around it.

Mulder watched, appreciating her dance and what she was doing to inspire the men in the room. He licked his lips and felt a vague stirring in his nether regions. This used to be exactly the kind of woman he liked, tall, leggy and brunette. Then he met Dana Katherine Scully and he was forever attracted to petite, redheaded woman with a penchant for kicking male asses, notably his own. The Captain was staring at the woman on stage, his expression somewhere between unwanted fascination and reluctant acceptance.

Mulder closed his eyes and concentrated on his friend, trying to understand what he was thinking, and feeling. It was one of the things he was learning from his son, William, the fact that because of the experiments and alterations made to him, he also had some special abilities. He knew it was rude to use them without warning the Captain, but in this case, he felt it was warranted. The more he could do to help his friend, the better.

The dark-haired beauty had finished on the stage and was now working her way through the enraptured male audience, and up on stage was a pair of new dancers, a petite redhead dressed in blue silk, and a lovely, slender blonde dressed in a material of glittery golden transparency. Mulder's attention was immediately diverted as in his mind he imagined his Scully doing all the things that the woman was doing. He closed his eyes for a few moments and allowed himself to enjoy the feeling. The physical sensation of responding to his wife, the imaginings of his erotic fantasies. He expelled a deep breath as he ghosted his palm over the front of his pants.

He looked over at the Captain whose attention was fixated on the blonde dancer, who was moving offstage and in their direction. The Captain's breathing was shorter, and he exhibited all the signs of a man fighting his physical desires. The blonde and redhead noticed the interest of the two handsome men and made their way over to their table, dancing around Mulder and the Captain and touching them on their arms, running their hands across their shoulders. Mulder smiled and enjoyed the feeling of the fingers ghosting across his shoulders for a few moments, but when he offered her a bill, she smiled, tucked it down her front and began to straddle his lap. He laughed and gently pushed her away. Danny was frozen in his seat as the blonde was also touching his shoulders and chest, she ran a hand along the Captain's face and settled herself on his lap. After just a moment she gave him a surprised and sultry smile as she raised an eyebrow at him. Apparently, the blonde was intent on giving the good Captain a free lap dance.

The Captain appeared shocked and without warning he grabbed the young woman's wrists, stood up and lifted her off his lap, scowled at Mulder and stalked out the back door of the establishment. Only a little surprised, Mulder threw an appropriate bill at the woman and hurried out after the Captain. Mulder found him in the alley in back, pacing back and forth, growling to himself.

Mulder approached him slowly. "Danny? You okay?"

"Okay? I am far from okay! How dare you bring me to this place? How dare you defile the feelings that I have for Carolyn?"

"How have you or I defiled them?"

"By bringing me here! By allowing me to see these…these…"

"Women? Strippers?"

"Yes, them!" He glared at Mulder.

"And how do they make you feel?"

"Uncomfortable," the Captain growled.

"What do you mean by uncomfortable?"

"Are you dimwitted? You know what that means?"

"That you physically reacted to them?"

"Yes…that," the Captain said, and his anger dissipated just as quickly as it had appeared. "Damn it all! Why did I react like that? Why can't I control these urges?" He gave his friend a long look. "The only woman I'm interested in is Carolyn."

"And the only woman I'm interested in is Scully, but I reacted too." He walked over and laid a cautious hand on the Captain's shoulders. "It's because we're men, Danny. And whether we like it or not we have basic physical urges that we can't fight. Reacting to a woman doesn't mean that we are bad, that we have to do anything about it, it only means that we are men. Mortal."

A silence fell between them.

"And that's why you wanted me to discover? To feel?" His eyebrows were knit together in puzzlement. "I don't understand."

"You need to know that is what you are now. And to understand that even base desires are part of what you are, and it's okay. You're in a body now and it will react. Enjoy the feelings, the sensations, accept them for what they are, because it's what you are."

The Captain shook his head and stared at the ground and was quiet. Mulder waited patiently, and concentrated again on his friend, trying to sense the emotions that the Captain was feeling. He sensed an unwanted desire, awakening lust, excitement, insecurity, and shame for his reactions. Mulder was surprised when he was suddenly thrown out of touching the Captain's mind in a violent way.

Mulder gripped his head, trying to soothe the now raging headache. "Oww!" He looked across at the Captain who watched him with some satisfaction. "Did you do that?"

"Aye, I did. You should not be meddling when you're not asked to."

"I was trying to help."

"By tampering with my mind?"

"No! By sensing what you were feeling!"

"You're not a good enough psychologist to do that on your own?"

"Of course, I am. It was an aide." Mulder took a deep breath and calmed himself. "If I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry. I'm still trying to get used to having some of these abilities, to be able to use them when appropriate."

"And you felt this was appropriate?" The Captain raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did. Forgive me if I felt like helping a friend." Mulder scowled.

The Captain shifted from foot to foot and finally walked over to his friend and laid a hand on Mulder's shoulder. Mulder looked up and they shared a look and nodded and then stepped away from each other.

"Can we go?" The Captain asked.

"Yeah. As long as you think about what I said and start to accept what you are now."

"I will, Fox, I promise."

"Good, then my work is done. Let's go get some sleep."

"Home then?"

"No, we've both had too much to drink. And God help me, Scully's teaching me to be responsible. I got us a room. In the morning we can drive back." He shrugged.

The Captain nodded and followed Mulder out of the alley and into the street as they made their way to their hotel.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Breakfast had been quiet with Daniel gone, but it was all right. Carolyn and Dana had enjoyed the day before when they went to a spa and discussed all manner of things both lighthearted and not. They shared some laughter and some fears, everything that good friends should do.

Patience was what she needed with her newly restored husband, she needed to remember that this was all new to him and that he had many things to relearn in his new life. They had become so entwined that she could call her and Daniel nothing but codependent.

She was only starting to realize that things were changing between them, that with his new body and his new life, that they had to. They had to untwine in order to entwine in this new reality once again. It was a startling revelation but one that Carolyn had to accept. She was determined to discover what it is that she wanted to do with her new life, and to that end she was now going through some old manuscripts she had started but abandoned. No time like the present to begin writing again.

She briefly thought about Dana and hoped that whether her friend was pregnant or not, that things would settle out between her and Fox. They were very dear to her and she wanted only the best for them.

She shook her head seeing the piles of papers around her and realized that she had some sorting to do, and that she might as well get started.

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Scully was supposed to wait for Mulder before she took the test, she had promised him she would, but she had reached a point where she had to know the result. She had to know the answer so that she could figure out her feelings on this. She knew they shouldn't be so complicated regarding something she wanted so much, but somehow, they were. Maybe it was just nerves or trying to settle in to the normal life that she always wanted, or maybe it made things too real too fast.

She stared at the stick waiting for those eternally long two minutes to pass by, and when they did, she nodded and acknowledged the result. It was what was expected, she would have to tell her husband when he returned. Until then she had some time to gather her thoughts together.

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It was mid-morning when Carolyn heard his footfall outside the open door of the master suite. She looked up from her various piles of paper as Daniel entered the room and she smiled at him. He seemed uncertain and hesitated as he stopped on the side of the desk opposite her and took a seat.

"You're back. Did you enjoy time with Fox?" She tried not to smirk at the thought.

"Good? Hmm, interesting, educational. I am not so certain about good."

"You didn't kill him or anything, did you?"

"Carolyn! Why would you even say that?" He raised his voice in outrage and then chuckled at the grin on her face.

"You had fun?"

"Again, not quite fun," he chafed as he said that, causing Carolyn to raise an eyebrow in speculation. "You didn't have a good time? You didn't have fun? But it was interesting and educational. Just what did you do?"

"The truth is that I would rather not say."

"Oh? Do you think I would be mad at you?"

"Possibly." He tugged on his ear, a sure sign that he was uneasy about something.

"Did you sleep with another woman?"

"God, no! How dare you even imagine such a thing! I would never do that to you, to us!"

"Daniel, calm down," she laughed at him. "I was only joking."

"Oh. Then you do not really care what Fox and I did on our day away from you and Miss Scully?"

"She's Mrs. Mulder now, remember?"

"Yes, but somehow that doesn't fit her well."

Carolyn shrugged, and the Captain looked around their room which was now piled with various stacks of papers and books and frowned.

"You have been busy."

"Well, your absence has given me some extra time, so I thought I would put it to use."

"Cleaning?"

"Sorting. I will have my answer for Sucellos. As for what I want to do with my life, it's what I've always wanted to do with my life, I want to write. It's in my soul."

"There is nothing new that intrigues you? Nothing else you yearn to do?"

"I have given this a lot of thought, really I have. There are other things I might like to do, like working with children, teaching, maybe even something like interior decorating. But even when I think of all those things I always come back to writing. I just can't imagine life without doing that. I guess it's too much a part of me."

"That is not a terrible thing," the Captain said.

"No, I guess not." She studied him, and he saw the concern in her eyes as she spoke. "What about you?"

"What you're really asking is if now that I am human again, if I will return to the sea?"

"Yes, I guess I am," Carolyn expelled a breath. "Do you know what you want to do?"

"Not completely."

"What does that mean?"

"That I do not know if I want to return to the sea." He sighed. "I have thought of other pursuits as well."

"Like teaching? You've mentioned that in the past."

"Yes, that is one. If I am landbound I would like to do something more creative. I do enjoy writing with you but do not believe that I would want to purse that as a permanent profession. And I am not sure that I would want to teach as a constant either. I have thought about law enforcement…"

"No," Carolyn said.

"No?" He gave her a quizzical look.

"No. I do not want you in law enforcement."

"I believe this is my decision, is it not?" His irritation was evident in his voice.

Carolyn took a deep breath and counted to ten before she spoke again. "Daniel, think about this for a minute. You are still newly human and after wanting to be together for so long we have a chance to have the life together that we have always wanted. Do you really want to risk that by taking on a dangerous profession? What if you got shot?'

He saw the shine to her eyes and understood why she was saying 'no' to this choice.

She shook her head. "I couldn't lose you…"

"Carolyn, I'm sorry, I didn't think," he said and went around the desk to pull her to him and into his arms. "You're right, I have no desire to leave you like that, nor of making you a widow again over the course of our lifetime."

"Thank you," she murmured, nestled within his arms. She drew away and studied his face. "Is there anything else you've considered?"

"Well, there is one thing, but you will think it absurd. I thought of it and I find it silly for a grown man to entertain such a thought."

"Daniel? What?"

"Well, the thing is…I'm very surprised by this…but you see…I rather like…well, cooking." His gaze was now focused at his boots as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Cooking?" Her voice was incredulous.

"I told you it was silly," he grumbled. "A grown man should never consider such a thing as a profession, especially someone like me."

Carolyn regarded him in amazement and waited for him to look at her again. When he did he was amazed to see that she wasn't laughing at him. He gave her a suspicious glance.

"Why aren't you laughing at me?"

"Because I never would have thought of this, I think it's an amazing idea."

"You do?"

"I do. You are a marvelous cook, far better than I."

"My love, forgive me, but that isn't much of a compliment."

Carolyn sighed. "My point is that you are very good at it, and I have noticed you are even better at it since your transformation."

"That's because I can smell and taste things more acutely, I am better able to differentiate subtle differences."

"I think you would be amazing at this. You could start your own restaurant."

"My own business?" His eyes lit with interest. "It would be something to challenge me."

"Starting a business is not an easy thing."

"You would steer me in the right direction?"

"Happily. I have a lot of business contacts that could help out too."

Daniel's blue eyes glistened in excitement. "This has some definite possibilities. I will investigate this further."

"Does this mean that you won't be heeding the call of the ocean?" She was still clearly concerned about this possibility and what it would mean for them.

"My dear, I still need to think on this too. There are so many things I miss about the ocean and being Captain of a ship. But, when I was doing that I did not have you in my life. Even when I think of answering the call of the sea, I cannot imagine being away from you for the extended time that would be required of me. And I did have that part time business with the small sailing ships. I could resurrect that if I wanted to do so."

"So that means?" Carolyn wasn't completely sure what he was saying.

"That I need some more time to puzzle this out. And I think it calls for some time on the ocean." He smiled at her in his most charming way. "Care to go sailing tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? No, I'm sorry. I have a couple of appointments that I need to go to in the morning. If you want some company, you could always ask Dana. I think she has some issues that she is wrestling with too. Maybe it would do her good to get out?"

"Fox wouldn't consider it improper?" He frowned.

"Why would he do that? You've been sailing before with her. You can ask him too, but I don't think he'll go."

Daniel laughed at that. "I dare say that he remembers the last time I took him sailing."

"He does, and he still swears at you under his breath when that incident is brought up."

"All right, I will see what the weather forecast is for tomorrow and call Miss Scully…Mrs. Mulder and see if she would like to get out for a bit." He stepped close and took her in his arms once again. "I love you," he said, and turned her face to his and kissed her sweetly, and then again before releasing her.

"Are you feeling better?" Carolyn asked, a hopeful expression in her eyes from relishing the touch of his lips on hers.

"Possibly," he gave her a roguish smile. "I did enjoy the feel of your lips against mine, and the feel of you in my arms. It is helping me to remember." He was aware of buried emotions beginning to rise within him, deep buried emotions tied to his masculinity, to the desires he felt from being with a beautiful woman. Perhaps there was hope after all.

He stepped away from her, but with an encouraging smile, and turned and left the room.

Carolyn stared after him and for the first time in a long time felt hope stir within her.

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 _AN: Thank you all for your kind reviews; they are appreciated - CM_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The next morning began with a mist rolling off the water, giving the shoreline and the dock a rather eerie appearance, Scully thought as she followed the Captain to one of the sail boats. It was smaller vessel than the last time she had sailed with him, but was neat and trim, it looked quite capable of making a proper journey around the bay. A task that would take them only part of the morning.

Scully was rather grateful that the Captain asked her out for a sail, she wanted some time away from Mulder to think about things, how to tell him she was pregnant.

 _why am I so damn skittish about it?_

Captain Gregg barked out an order as she deposited her backpack on the floor of the ship, and she scrambled to release the lines that kept them moored. With an expertise that Scully appreciated, having come from a navy family, the Captain got them underway and safely away from the dock.

Though not at all nervous, she stared out into the mist that seemed thicker on the water and wondered how the Captain was so certain of himself as he guided the sailboat out into the sea. They needed to be vigilant because of the weather conditions but slowly the sun was rising over the horizon and the mist was beginning to burn off.

She was surprised to note that he seemed a bit tense today. He'd been very polite on the short trek to the dock but had hardly uttered two words since then.

"Captain?"

He turned his head enough to glance at her. "Miss Scully? Err….Mrs. Mulder?" He shook his head and regarded her. "I'm used to you being Miss Scully. What shall I call you, my dear?"

"How about Dana? Can you get used to that?"

"I will try."

"And do you prefer that I call you, Captain? Or Daniel?" She paused. "I know the use of first names was a bit more personal back in your day."

"Yes, it was, wasn't it?" He shrugged. "As you will…Dana. As you are a dear friend I am content with either."

A short silence settled between them.

"You seem tense today," Scully said at last.

"Do I?" He rolled his shoulders and stretched quietly. "My apologies. I should be paying more attention to you as you are an invited guest on this short excursion."

"No, no. That's not what I meant at all." She offered him an apologetic smile. "I meant that I'm worried about you."

"Me? Why would you worry about me?" He seemed genuinely surprised by her concern.

"You're a friend, Daniel. I get to worry about my friends."

"Thank you, but there is no need for concern."

"I think there might be."

"What are you getting at?" He drew his brows together in irritation, but she it.

"Are you okay?"

The Captain regarded her with a sharp gaze from his cool blue eyes. "How much has Fox told you?"

"Not a much as you think. I'm quite intelligent, you know? I've put a lot of the pieces together on my own."

"Tell me what you think you know." His voice was quiet but underlined with steel.

"Fine, I'll be blunt. You have been a viable spirit for so long that you are having trouble transitioning to a living, breathing man."

He said nothing but there was blue fire in his eyes as he regarded her. "Psychology, Dana? I thought that was Fox's department?"

Scully laughed. "It is. I just use compassion and common sense, and I can tell that you're hurting."

Daniel nodded in a brief acknowledgement of understanding. "It is…difficult," he murmured. He shifted and looked away from her at the sea. "I thought perhaps being out here would help me to think."

"It probably will, there's nothing quite like a glorious day on the sea." She closed her eyes as the breeze blew through her hair.

"Agreed." He watched her, noting her happiness at being at sea, and internally acknowledged a kindred spirit.

"What can you do about it?" She turned her ice blue eyes on him and he saw the challenge in them.

"I beg your pardon?" He was briefly confused.

"What can you do about the issues your having? How can you fix them?"

"I don't completely know. Fox has a theory that I must learn to be a man again! Good God! Can you imagine anyone less manly than me?" He stood up and gestured to himself, preening for Scully.

She laughed. "Well that seems in character. Apparently, your transition hasn't changed that."

"Changed what?"

"Your masculine ego."

He stroked his beard and raising an eyebrow offered her a charming smile. "Surely you don't consider that one of my issues."

"No, for you it's just a character trait," she said cheerfully.

He gave her a curious look but not sure how to take that comment, remained quiet.

"Don't sidestep this." She crossed her arms in front of her.

"A man should not discuss his feelings. He should work them out on his own and not trouble the women in his life."

"Bullshit."

"Miss Scully! That is hardly appropriate language for a woman of your caliber."

"That may be, but you're stalling. And not to be rude, but Daniel," she stepped over to him and placed her hand on his arm, "we're not in your day and haven't been for a very long time. You have to live in the present if you want to go on. You have to completely assimilate into a world that, as a human, you don't understand."

"Yes, it is true." He expelled a long breath and looked at the horizon again. He offered Scully a small smile. "I don't remember all that it means to be a man, a human male. And considering the fine specimen of a man that I used to be, I find that…incomprehensible."

His voice was filled with doubt and he refused to look at her.

"I need to be strong, confident! And I find that I am all manner of weak. How can I protect and take care of Carolyn if I no longer know who I am?"

They were silent for a time.

"Let her know that you love her. She loves you, Daniel. The rest will fall into place. You may find that because you are human, and have weaknesses, that she loves you even more."

"I don't understand," he said turning to face Scully.

"You need to remember that as humans we make mistakes, we sometimes fail, and we most certainly are not good at everything. But that's okay."

Daniel frowned.

"You want some advice for a trusted friend, one who is a modern woman?"

"Of course, I would be honored to receive such."

"Take it easy on yourself. Go as fast or as slow as you need to. Take Carolyn away somewhere where it is just the two of you and take the time to reconnect. I don't know, maybe a cruise? And island escape? I'd even help you plan a trip if you want."

"A trip? Away from Gull Cottage?" He sounded indignant. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you can. You are no longer bound here, and I think you forget that. You used to explore the world. Do it again, but with Carolyn. I promise that you'll both be better for it."

The Captain regarded her with a thoughtful expression and she could see that she had given him some new ideas to consider. "I will think on it. Thank you."

"My pleasure." She stepped away from him and sat down, turning her gaze to the sea.

Suddenly they hit a patch of rough water and she felt her stomach begin to roll and roil.

"Oh no," she gasped and hanging onto the side of the small vessel, heaved her small breakfast into the water. After a few moments her head almost stopped spinning, and she settled on the deck with a decided thud. She looked up into the Captain's concerned face and realized with only a small sense of surprise that he was holding her shoulders and gently wiping her mouth.

"Thanks," Scully mumbled, mortified by her actions.

"Are you all right?"

"I think so, but I don't know."

"Do you need to see a doctor? We can turn back immediately."

"No," she waved him off. "Just give me a minute."

He gave her a skeptical look.

"Really. I know what's wrong."

"And what precisely might that be?"

"I'm pregnant," Scully blurted out.

"You're?" His eyebrow almost crawled into his hair. "So Sucellos was correct?"

"Yes. Though I'm not sure how he knew after only a few hours."

"They are referred to as 'the powers that be' for a reason." The Captain said with an air of resignation. "How excited is Fox?" Daniel smiled, he knew how eager his friend was to have this confirmed.

"I haven't verified it for him yet."

"Why on earth not?"

Scully was assisted to a less awkward position as her stomach had finally settled and she looked up at the Captain. "I don't know. I think I'm trying to get a handle on it."

"Forgive me, but I am a bit confused. I thought this was something that you wanted?"

"I do, I did, I mean, yes?" She shook her head.

"Miss Scully, Dana?" She looked up at him. "I, under some protest, shared my problems with you. I think you should return the favor."

"Okay, fine. I do want the baby, really I do, but I'm worried." She bit her lip.

"About what, pray tell?"

"Mulder. He says he'll be here, but he has trouble staying grounded. He's always running off to explore some new phenomenon, some new paranormal mystery. And now he's going to stop? I don't know how he can when it's so much a part of him, and I don't know if it's fair for me to ask him to do it. All of which would leave me alone…again to raise another child." When she looked at him again there were tears in her eyes. "I don't think I can do it."

"Why on earth do you think you'll have to? Your husband is in love with you, one would have to be blind not to see that, and he's promised to stay with you. That is not something a man does lightly."

"He's not like you…"

"My dear, Dana, no one is like me." Daniel said with a smug expression. "Be that as it may, I believe Fox is a good man and if he has said he will be here for you, he will be. Do you really doubt him?"

"I don't want to hold him back. I don't want him to resent me."

"Resent you? You are giving him the most precious gift that a woman can give a man."

Dana nodded, trying not to cry.

"And if he doesn't do the right thing I will kick him to hell and back!"

Scully laughed outright and wiped away a stray tear. "You would, wouldn't you?"

"Of course, I would. You are an exceptional woman and deserve only the best, but for whatever reasons you have, you settled for Fox."

She laughed harder and then smiled up at the Captain.

"That's better." He paused and gave her a few moments to compose herself. "All right now?"

"Yes."

"Good."

They settled into silence again as the ship nicely cut its path into the waves, the day now bright and beginning to warm up.

"What are you going to do, Dana? What occupation have you decided on?"

"That's easy. I'm going to be a doctor."

"You sound like Carolyn. She has no desire to change her occupation either. She says writing is in her very soul."

"I understand that. I still want to be a doctor but I'm going to change the type of doctor I am."

"Oh, what field will you specialize in?"

"Pediatrics. I want to care for children."

Daniel offered her a warm smile. "You will be wonderful at that. It suits you."

"Thanks." She gave him a long look. "And what will you do?" She gave him a guarded look. "Are you returning to the sea?"

"I don't know." He sighed. "Those are words I never thought That I would utter." He paused and made some adjustment to their course and then turned back to Scully. "I love the sea. I did back in my day, and I still do. I never thought I would consider being away from her, but that was before I met Carolyn."

"Being in love changes a few things, doesn't it?"

"It does indeed." He sighed. "There is still a part of me that longs for this, to be out on the sea, to walk the decks of my ship, to be in command of my vessel, to sail the world again. But, how could I leave Carolyn behind for the extended lengths of time that I would be gone? And would I even want to be part of the new navy? Or a new freighter ship? And what precisely would I be Captain of?" He ran a hand through his hair in irritation. "I don't know the answers to any of these questions."

"Is there anything else you might consider? Anything else that interests you? Even a little?"

Daniel gave a self-deprecating chuckle and grimaced a bit.

"What is that face for?" Scully asked.

"No, it is not worth my consideration."

"What? Tell me."

"You will think it silly. A man of my nature should not consider such a thing."

"Daniel? Please tell me. I promise not to laugh."

He seemed unconvinced.

"Please," she gave him her best pleading eyes.

"Confound it all! All of you women know how to use your feminine wiles on men, even in the most innocent of ways."

"I would never do that," she said, but gave him her best pleading gaze.

"Very well. But you promise that you won't laugh?"

"Cross my heart." Scully motioned over her heart.

The Captain cleared his throat. "I have, albeit very briefly, considered that I enjoy preparing meals, cooking as it were. It has occurred to me that I could perhaps be a chef. Carolyn has suggested opening my own restaurant." He finished, not meeting Scully's eyes.

"A chef? A restaurant?" she nodded. "It could work. I think you'd be good at it."

He frowned. "You are not just saying that to placate me?"

"No, I would never do that. Ask Mulder. I tend to say what I think."

"Fox wasn't able to join us today?" Daniel said in an all too innocent tone.

"No. You may have put him off sea vessels forever."

The both laughed in easy comradery.

"I think we'll head back," he said after a few minutes. "You are still looking pale despite your protests."

"I'm fine. Really." She paused. "I would like to ask a favor of you and Carolyn."

"Ask away."

"I still need to tell Mulder about the… baby. Could you watch William tonight so that I can tell him the news?"

"I will confer with Carolyn when we return, but we enjoy spending time with William. I believe we can agree to your request."

"Umm, okay. Call me after you talk to Carolyn."

The Captain nodded and inclined his head towards the back of the boat. "Time we head back. To work Ensign Scully."

Scully raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Ensign?"

"You have to earn a higher rank on a larger ship if you want a promotion."

"Aye, aye, sir." She gave him a mock solute and he laughed.

"Thank you for your insights, Miss Scully."

"Happy to help." She paused and looked queasy for just a moment. "I think home is a good idea."

"Then off we go," Daniel turned the vessel on the course that would take them home, and they both became lost in their own thoughts as they approached the familiar shoreline.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Later that evening, Carolyn watched as Daniel and William sat together on the front steps of Gull Cottage as the boy practiced with his abilities. It seemed that the lesson tonight was telekinesis, and Daniel was patiently offering suggestion and advice from what he knew during his time as a spirit. She sat quietly in a chair behind them, enjoying the cool ocean breeze on a beautiful Maine evening and listened quietly.

"Uncle Daniel?" William turned to the older man and set his bicycle which he was holding aloft settle back on the ground.

"Yes, William?"

"Is it true that you really can't do any of this…" he gestured to the air around him, "anymore?"

"It's true."

"Is it because you are alive again?"

"Yes."

"Huh. I still think you can do stuff."

"Why would you say that? I'm human now. How could I possibly have any of my spirit abilities?"

"I think they're just slow to come back to you." He regarded the Captain carefully. "At least the ones that do come back."

"You think I'll get some of them back?" Daniel was amused by the boy's assumption.

William nodded, his expression serious. "You will, I know it. But I think first you have to learn to be human again."

"From the mouth of babes," Carolyn said, and he turned his head to exchange a glance. "And, William, it's already past your bedtime."

"But it's just getting dark!"

"That's because it's summer as you well know. You're up an hour later than you are supposed to be."

"Aww, Aunt Carolyn." He turned to the Captain. "Uncle Daniel?"

"I cannot help you, lad. Your aunt's word is law."

"Even for you?" He asked, surprised.

"Especially for me, isn't that right, my dear?"

Carolyn laughed. "It most certainly is."

"There you have it! We must obey our orders," Daniel said easily.

"All right. I'll go get ready for bed."

"Good lad," the Captain said as he ruffled his hair. "Say goodnight to your Aunt Carolyn on the way up."

William ran over to Carolyn and gave her a big hug and kissed her on the cheek. "Goodnight, Aunt Carolyn. See you in the morning."

"Good night, William. Love you."

"Love you too," he said as he disappeared through the front doors and they heard him running up the steps.

Carolyn began to get out of the chair she was sitting in, but Daniel gestured for her to remain where she was.

"I'll make sure he gets in bed. Wait for me here?"

"Of course," she smiled as he gave her a gentle kiss and then followed William up the stairs.

She sighed in relief, and settled back against her chair, staring out at the waves hitting the rocky coast.

Carolyn wasn't sure what had changed but over the last couple of days, but Daniel seemed a bit more settled with himself. She longed for his touch again, she longed to be loved by him. Patience was overrated.

She smiled as she recalled his interactions with William. He really was so good with children, it made her sad that the way their history was rewritten with his sojourn back in time in which Candy and Jonathan became his children, that he wasn't around to raise them or see them grow. They now retained no memory of Bobby from the original timeline, they only knew that they were raised with a single mother and that their father, although beloved, was unable to be with them.

After they were introduced to the Captain at Gull Cottage she let their attachment form naturally, and the then ghost, as yet unaware of how his future would change, bonded with Candy and Jonathan who were now his children. Eventually, in later years she told them all the truth which they then accepted. The past had been changed and the only ones that remembered the original timeline were her and her Daniel.

But it gave her Daniel in her life in a way that he couldn't be with her before, and she couldn't even begin to express her gratitude for that fact.

Watching him with William though, that was beginning to awaken feelings in her that she thought long gone. They were both alive, they were both in the prime of life again, the possibility existed that they could have a normal life. They were in love, they were married, and they were settled. That normal life could include children. Their children. Children conceived and born into a safe environment with parents desperately in love with each other. She closed her eyes and sighed, imagining doing everything right this time, having the support of a loving husband as they looked after their child together. Sleepless nights, diaper changes, projectile vomiting, she wanted it all.

 _God help me_ , she thought with a wry grin and wondered how Daniel would react to such a discussion.

The object of her thoughts was there almost as she thought of him, bounding out of the house with more energy than she had seen in some time.

"Daniel?" she questioned, and he heard the note of amusement in her voice.

"My love?"

"You seem undeniably energetic."

"It's William. Having him around puts me in good spirits."

"No pun intended."

"No," he said but she saw his smile.

He studied her for a few moments and pulled up a chair to sit across from her. "What's on your mind, my dear?"

"You can read me so well?"

"When I am paying attention and not self-absorbed as I have been of late, yes." He took her hand in his. "Tell me."

"I don't know if you're ready to hear what's on my mind. I mean, you're having difficulties yet…you haven't adjusted…"

"Yes, that has been true, and you have my sincere apologies for that. I do however believe that I have a better grasp of things."

"Why? How?"

He shrugged. "Knowing that I have to accept that I'm human now and as such I have human… weaknesses as well as those common to the male of the species." He gazed into her eyes. "I am far from perfect, my dear, and will probably never achieve the kind of power and control I had as a spirit. This form," he gestured at himself, "has so many flaws in design, it is so limited…"

"But it's what we all are, Daniel. Have you ever thought of me that way? Or our friends? Limited?"

He blinked. and Carolyn knew that thought hadn't crossed his mine. "No, of course not."

"Then?"

He sighed and gave her an accepting smile. "Then I need to accept that I am one of you now and that it is a remarkable thing to be human. That I need to explore the new possibilities before me."

"There are things we can do as humans that we couldn't do when you were in spirit form…" Carolyn ventured and bit her lip as she regarded him.

"What kind of things?" He asked, and she could see a myriad of thoughts running through his mind.

"Be together."

"We were together when I was a spirit…"

"Not like we can be together now. Now we can be a family."

"But we are a family. We are married…"

"I mean…" she steeled herself, not knowing what his reaction might be. "…I mean we could have our own family…"

"I am not following this. We have our own family, we have friends…"

"Oh, for God's sake! Sometimes you are so dense! A baby, Daniel. We could have a baby."

"Oh. That." His eyebrows drew together, and his expression grew serious and he leaned back in his chair, dropping her hand and suddenly drumming on the arms of his chair. "A baby? Us? Really?"

"Really. That is, if you want. I know you feel bad about Candy and Jonathan, but things are different now for us." She paused. "There's no rush, and I know you have a lot to figure out, but I thought maybe, someday…"

"A baby, our baby…" clearly the thought was still playing in his mind.

Carolyn sat back and waited for him to speak, their silence comfortable even if it was a bit awkward. After a couple of minutes, he leaned forward and took her hand again. "When would you like to get started?"

"I beg your pardon?" This was not the response she was expecting.

"When would you like to get started on this…project?" There was a definite twinkle of excitement in his clear blue eyes.

"Wait. Am I hearing you right? We haven't been together since you've regained your humanity. And you just want to dive into making a baby?"

"Well, you did ask." His grin lit up his face, and he stood up and reached for Carolyn's hand, pulling her into a close embrace. He looked into her eyes and she found herself lost in the pools of dark blue as he kissed her, tentative at first as though for the first time.

She responded in a very unladylike way, and opened her mouth to him, seeking admittance as she escalated their kiss to passionate. He responded in kind and pushed himself against her and she felt his arousal and almost groaned in relief. It had been such a long time that all she wanted to do was push him on the ground and have her way with him.

He must have felt the same because she felt herself with her back against the wall of the house as his lips frantically worked their way down her neck. He pushed up against her again and she did moan. Somehow, she found the strength to put her hands on his chest and push him away.

They were both breathing heavily as they looked at one another.

With an apology in her eyes, she gestured to the upper floor. "We have a houseguest," she stammered at last.

He swallowed with difficulty but nodded his consent. "You are correct, of course," said and took another step away from her. "The difficulties of being a human male," he tried a joke at his current state of arousal.

"It's all right, Daniel. In fact, it's much more than all right," she regarded him with a look that promised him much more.

"Maybe tomorrow, after he is returned to his parents?"

"Yes, definitely." She assured him.

They continued to gaze longingly at one another until he cleared his throat and smiled at her. "I have another idea that I would like you to consider."

"Which is?"

"I would like to take some time and go on an extended sea voyage." He didn't miss the way her face fell and before she could turn away, he grasped her hands within her own. "Carolyn, look at me."

After a few moments she drew her resolve together and did as he asked but he could see the unshed tears.

"I don't mean a voyage by myself. I want you to go with me. I want us to take at least a couple of months and travel together by sea. Would you consider it?"

"Oh, Daniel," she buried himself against his chest and he held her tight, rubbing her back as he tried to comfort her.

"You thought I'd leave without you?" He drew back to look at her.

"It's what you did, I mean you were gone for months at a time, it was normal for you."

"That was before you were in my life. Even if I wanted to I doubt I could be removed from your beatific presence for that length of time." He placed a sweet kiss on her lips. "I want to go on this trip with you, but I should warn you that I am not totally accustomed to this new life yet. I still have a few…kinks to work out."

"Let me think about it for a day?"

He nodded. "Yes, however long you need, my dear." He stepped away from her and gave her a smile.

"You look like you're going somewhere?"

"A walk, I think. I need to walk off some of my unspent…energy."

"Got it. While you're gone I'll go and say goodnight to William."

"Excellent. I will be back in a short while."

With one last kiss they parted ways, and each went about their individual tasks.

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Mulder gently brushed a stray strand of hair away from Scully's face as they lie in bed together in the afterglow of their tender lovemaking. He did his best to breathe her in completely, to absorb into every cell of himself, everything that was Scully because he loved her with all his heart.

"I take it, you're happy?" Scully's bright blue eyes, filled with love for him, searched his.

He pulled her tight and squeezed her, wishing he could somehow let her feel all his love and happiness, instead he settled for words that seemed inadequate. "Love you," he whispered into her ear. "And you, and William, and the new little one…I don't have any words," he admitted, allowing his hand to rest on her abdomen.

"Fox Mulder at a loss for words? I never thought I'd see the day."

Mulder chuckled. "Yeah, well sex, and impending fatherhood can do that to a man."

"But you're happy?"

"Yes, Dana, extremely happy. And I will be around this time to help with everything, I'm looking forward to it." He placed a sweet kiss on her lips. "Are you okay with this? You seem a bit…hesitant?"

"It's nothing."

"Scully…"

"Okay, fine." She adjusted herself so that she was facing him and let her hand wander down his side, over his hip. "I'm worried about you."

"Me?" Mulder seemed surprised. "Why?"

"Mulder, you've always been searching for answers, searching for the truth as long as I've known you. You don't need to do that anymore."

He snorted. "Yeah, funny how meeting an immortal, powerful spirit who assures you that situation is well in hand can make a believer out of you."

"You can let go of the conspiracies that have plagued you?"

"Plagued is a good way to put it." He rolled over on his back and expelled a long sigh. "But yeah, I've thought about it a lot and I think I can. It's not that I didn't want a good life with a family of my own, more that I just never expected that I could have it."

"Do you believe in it now?"

"I want to believe, and I think I can believe." He shifted his eyes to watch her. "Which brings me to another point, what do I really want to do?"

"Do you know? We haven't had much time to decide and you've seemed uncertain."

"Well, Scully, I'm not sure what you'll think of what I want to do. You may not like it."

Scully felt her stomach knot up with apprehension. "Go on," she said.

"I want to be…well, I want to be a house husband."

Nothing he said could have shocked her more, she tried to calibrate his answer along with all the answers she expected, and this was nowhere in her mental library of answers from Mulder.

"It's just that it would cost money to have a babysitter for two kids and I missed everything with William because everything was so fucked up…I just can't think of a better way to spend my time."

"But Mulder! You've got an Oxford education, you're a crack investigator and profiler, a great psychologist…"

"Are you trying to argue me out of this?" He chuckled quietly.

"No, it's just that you'll probably get restless…"

"How do you know that?"

"I don't, but given your history…"

"Dana, past history is just that…past. We have an incredible opportunity for a brand-new life together, with our kids." He shook his head. "Gods! I never thought I'd hear myself say something like that."

"And you're really all right with this scenario?"

"Couldn't be better." He shrugged. "But at some point in the future I will probably want to work again. I don't know, maybe a child psychologist? Helping kids would be good. Maybe investigating the paranormal?"

Now it was Scully's turn to chuckle.

"What?" He seemed affronted.

"You! You have to be involved in the paranormal."

"Well," he frowned, unable to dispute her words.

"Mulder, it's okay. It's part of you. I understand." She sighed. "Just don't leave us."

"Scully, why would I do that? I finally have everything I've ever wanted, everything I was afraid to hope for, and it's all because of you. I'll never leave you."

"That sounds like a threat," she teased.

"Hey!"

Her hand ran over his chest, and he closed his eyes and sighed. "You feel so good."

"I'm barely touching you."

"It's enough. Hell, Scully, just the right look in your eyes makes me horny."

She laughed at that and raised her eyebrow at him in a very familiar gesture. "A house husband? Really?"

"Really." He grinned at her. "I will be a kept man. Your kept man."

"I can work with that," she promised with a wicked smile.

He gauged the look on her face and swallowed a brief bubble of apprehension, wondering what it was that she was up to. "Scully?"

"Mulder," she purred and grasped his semi-hard shaft, coaxing it to life.

"Scully," he breathed and threw his head back. "What are you doing?"

"If you don't know…" she looked at him, her eyes dark with desire. "I'm having my way with you…" she said at last.

Joyfully, he gave himself to her dominating advance.

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 _AN: Only a few chapters left – thanks for reading._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

It was mid-afternoon the next day when Mulder and Scully let themselves into Gull Cottage. They were surprised to find the house quiet, but they heard the unmistakable sounds of cooking from the kitchen. Shrugging they walked into the kitchen to find Carolyn and William seated at the table with a generous sampling of food before them.

"What have we here?" Mulder said, entering the kitchen.

"It looks like a feast."

"Daniel is cooking for us," Carolyn said.

"It looks wonderful," Mulder reached in a nabbed a shrimp appetizer from the tray, and then rolled his eyes in surprise. "Pretty good, he-man."

Daniel grunted in recognition but didn't bother with a response.

Scully walked up behind the Captain and peered over his shoulder at the stove. "What are you cooking?"

"Chinese. I wanted to try something a bit out of my normal sphere of taste, and I know that my wife likes Chinese."

"So, do I," William said as he snatched another egg roll off the tray and onto his plate.

"How many is that?" Scully asked her son.

"I dunno, I lost count because they're so good."

"Save some for us," Mulder said and snatched the egg roll out of his son's hand.

"Hey! Dad!"

Carolyn laughed. "He's been at this since lunch. I think he's seeing if he can do this, and if he wants to do it."

"Do what?" Mulder asked.

The Captain shook his head, indicating the women shouldn't share his potential career change with Mulder. Carolyn shrugged, clearly not worried about the Captain's instructions to the contrary.

"Daniel is considering a career change."

"Carolyn!" He shook his wooden spoon at her, but she only laughed.

"Fox should know, the rest of us do."

"You're thinking about being a chef? Would you open a restaurant?"

"Well, yes…if I decided that is what I want to do," he agreed cautiously.

"Danny, that's great!" Fox came over and clapped the Captain on the shoulder. "What kind of restaurant would you open? What kind of food would you specialize in?"

"I do not know. It is only an idea."

Mulder studied his friend for a moment as Scully went back to the kitchen table to sample the food.

"What are you afraid of, Danny?"

"Why must I always be afraid of something?"

"Because we all are. Don't be afraid of starting over."

Daniel muttered something inappropriate under his breath and Mulder laughed.

"If you want dinner, go sit down," he grumbled.

Mulder went to join the others and took a seat by the table.

"How soon until everything is ready, Daniel?" Carolyn asked.

He regarded the stove as he stepped away from it and rubbed his hands together. "Oh, not long, half an hour I'd say."

"Then come sit while we enjoy your appetizers," Carolyn indicated a got off her chair and indicated he should sit there.

"Nonsense, my dear. The chair is yours."

"I thought we could share," she blinked her eyes demurely and everyone chuckled at the consternation on his face.

"In company?"

"They're hardly company. They're family and they've all seen us…canoodle before," Carolyn said.

"Conoodle? What's that?" William asked, wrinkling his face.

Daniel took the chair as Carolyn sat on his lap, she leaned over and gave him a brief kiss on the lips.

"Eww," William said, "more kissing?"

"Yes, it's because I love Daniel."

"Yeah, and Mom loves Dad. Too much kissing."

The adults laughed.

"These are great, Uncle Daniel!"

"Oh, you like them, do you?" he asked popping a crab wonton in his mouth.

"Yeah, I could eat this all day!"

"A resounding compliment from my son. He doesn't always eat everything put before him," Scully said.

"Hey, why aren't you sitting on my lap?" Mulder asked, noticing that Scully was sitting beside him.

"Mulder!" Scully blushed, and everyone chuckled again.

"Hey! If they can do it why can't we?"

Scully hit him on the arm. "Oww!"

"Behave," she hissed.

"We can see that you two are getting along, in fact you seem very happy. Any news?" Carolyn asked.

Mulder and Scully exchanged happy glances.

"Mom's going to have a baby," William stated, still concentrating on his eggroll.

"William! We haven't told you for sure," Scully said.

"It's okay, Mom. I already knew."

The Captain grinned at Mulder. "Congratulations, Fox. It didn't take the pair of you long, did it? A few hours and…"

Carolyn squeezed his hand. "Daniel…"

"Ahh, yes. You are most wise, my love." He gave her a peck on the lips.

"I see you two are doing better," Scully said cheerfully.

"Yes, I am…understanding better what it is to be a human male. I still have much to accomplish but I am doing better."

"He is," Carolyn agreed.

Mulder's eyes twinkled with mischief. "Does that mean that? Have you?"

Scully elbowed him in the ribs. "Oww! Stop that."

"Not our business," she said.

"Why not? I helped Danny."

The Captain sighed but inclined his head in agreement. "Fox, you did. But should you share our conversations with anyone I may be forced to kill you. Do you understand?"

"You can't be serious," Fox started but saw the intent look on Daniel's face.

Mulder regarded him with an appraising look and nodded. "Point taken. It would be unprofessional in any case."

"I was a client?"

"First and foremost a friend, and so I am even more committed to keeping our talks in my confidence. You have nothing to worry about."

"Thank you, Fox."

"You're welcome, Danny. You two need to be together and if I helped at all I'm very glad."

With a gentle push, Carolyn was off his lap as he stood up.

"I must return to my duties. After we enjoy dinner I trust that you will give me honest reviews regarding the meal?"

They all agreed and within minutes a sumptuous Chinese feast was laid before them. The kitchen was quiet as they were all busy consuming the delicious meal that Daniel had prepared.

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Later that evening, after dinner, the adults sat in the living room enjoying drinks as were appropriate, liquor and iced tea, and laughing at personal anecdotes of the last few days. They were all surprised when the room suddenly grew very still, and the clock stopped.

"Oh, oh," Mulder said.

"Is that the best you can do, Mr. Mulder?" Sucellos said as he appeared in the room.

"What do you want, to be trumpeted in?" Daniel asked.

"Daniel, must you be so snide? We've hardly started."

"Apologize," Carolyn whispered in his ear.

"Very well, I am sorry for such a rude welcome, Lord Sucellos."

"Apology accepted," Sucellos inclined his head and then looked at the other adults in the room. "Mrs. Mulder, Mr. Mulder, a pleasure to see you as well."

"Thanks," Scully said.

"Are you here to find out what we want to do?" Mulder blurted out.

"Fox!" Daniel admonished.

"What? It's what we all want to know."

"Not much for small talk, are you?" The spirit asked. "Oh, and congratulations to you Mrs. Mulder."

"You were right, I was pregnant, but how did you know just hours after…"

Sucellos waved his hand and regarded her with amusement. "Because I'm so old," he whispered loudly, and everyone laughed.

Everyone seemed to have relaxed a bit, and the spirit nodded at them. "May I sit?" he asked, indicating a nearby chair.

"Of course," Carolyn agreed, and Daniel simply stood behind her with a long-suffering sigh.

"Get on with it, will you?" the Captain said.

"Daniel, really? Must you be so testy? All will happen in due time." He paused and looked at the Mulders. "And I have made sure your son will sleep deeply while we have our discussion so that there is no interruption to the adults." He looked around and saw four apprehensive sets of eyes. "Have any of you heard of relaxing? You really should try it some time."

"Get on with it," Daniel growled.

"Honestly, Daniel. I am offering you a prize why are you so garrulous?" He turned to the others. "As you all know, you had a choice to make in an allotted amount of time and that time is now up. The career choices need to be put in place. You will be provided with all the proper knowledge, credentials and history so that no one will question you. It will be as if you had always been in that profession." He paused. "Do you have any questions?"

The room was silent.

"Very well then. As is proper, I will start with the ladies first. Mrs. Gregg, I expect that you have given this considerable thought and that you know your own mind. Please start us out. What is it that you would like to do, dear lady?"

When all the eyes turned to her, Carolyn felt put on the spot, and dropped her gaze to the floor while she gathered herself together. It wasn't hard, she knew what she wanted, she had known what she always wanted. She wanted to write, it was part of her, much as breathing was. She couldn't imagine not writing, not putting words to paper to tell a story. Even if she never made a dime from it she would want to write, her need to tell stories was that great.

She looked back at the ancient ghost Lord and smiled. "I don't want anything different, I want to write." She shrugged. "It's what I do, what I've always done, and I don't have any reason to change. I love to write."

Sucellos nodded in approval. "Well said, my dear. It must be comforting to be so sure of what is important to you, and what you want. Congratulations on your choice." He tilted his head at her in acceptance. "Will you allow me to make your way easier?"

"How?"

"Would you like a degree? Several degrees?"

"I don't know, I don't think I need it for writing."

"Any knowledge that you wish?"

"No, I don't think so. I mean I've studied and practiced what I know and been fairly successful."

"Please allow me to impart the knowledge that a master's degree would have given you in writing. It will not remove anything you already know, only enhance your current abilities."

"All right. That would be acceptable."

"Perhaps some fame?" he suggested.

"No. That will come on its own if it's meant to be."

"You are a wise woman, Carolyn Gregg. I will arrange a few gifts for you."

"Gifts?" She asked suspiciously.

"Do not worry, dear lady. I assure you, they will all be wanted."

Carolyn silently took Daniel's arm and leaned into him as Sucellos turned to Dana Scully.

"Mrs. Mulder? Please tell me. What may I do for you?"

"I guess I'm much like Carolyn. I want to remain a doctor because it's what I love, but I do want to make changes." She exchanged a look with Mulder, and he offered her an encouraging look of support. "I don't want to be a forensic investigator any more. I want to work with children, at the very least be a pediatrician, though I think I'd like to specialize in something with children."

"Hmm," Sucellos rubbed his chin as he regarded her. "That is a bit more complicated. I can give you the knowledge and credentials you need to be a pediatrician. And you were a surgeon, were you not?"

"Yes, I was. I don't want to lose any of the knowledge I already have."

"No, of course not, but in view of your new ages, it would be unrealistic to give you all of that right now. Would it be acceptable for you to begin your career as a pediatrician here in the area? You can have put the forensic skills behind you as a career change at an early age." He smiled at her. "You will of course be regarded as brilliant no matter what you choose to do, dear lady."

"Thank you," Scully blushed. "What about my specialization?"

"You will retain the knowledge you already have, and it will be enhanced. If in three years you still wish to pursue this course or another, you may. I will pop back and check in on you."

"That would be wonderful," Scully agreed, a huge smile gracing her face.

"Consider it done." Sucellos gave the ladies a pleased smile and then turned to focus on Mulder. "Mr. Mulder? What decision have you arrived at?"

Mulder shifted uncomfortably, realizing he hadn't shared his decision with anyone other than Scully, and uncertain as to what their reactions might be. Would they consider him lazy for wanting to stay home with his children? At least for a while?

"Mr. Mulder, we are waiting."

"Umm, well, it's like this…" he scratched his head and finally met Sucellos gaze. "I don't want to lose any of the abilities I have either. I'm a damn good psychologist…"

"Fair," Daniel agreed with a faint smile, and Fox briefly glared at him while the Captain chuckled.

"…so I don't want to lose that. Maybe I'll work with kids too, be a child psychologist."

"That would suit you, Fox." Daniel said, and his voice held approval.

"Thanks, I think. You're not calling me childish, are you?" Mulder glanced back at the Captain, who shook his head.

"Mr. Mulder, please go on," Sucellos encouraged.

"Oh yeah, right. I want to retain the right to hang up a shingle as a child psychologist, or maybe even profiler if I want."

"Mulder, I thought you weren't going to do that anymore?" Scully's concern was evident.

"I'm not planning on it, but you never know when that skill might come handy." He turned back to the spirit in front of him. "And I want to maintain my knowledge of the paranormal. In case I decide to do something with that."

"May I remind you of who you are speaking to? That request goes without saying. But Mr. Mulder, you haven't really said anything new. What is it you want?"

He shuffled in front of the others, uncomfortable once again. "I don't need any special skills…I just wanna be…be a house husband."

"A what?" Daniel gasped in astonishment.

"A house husband?" Carolyn's mouth crinkled in a warm smile.

"Yeah. Now that we're expecting another child, I just, well, I just want to be with them."

"That's hardly an occupation for a man," Daniel commented.

"Maybe not in your day, Captain, but it's perfectly acceptable now," Scully said, defending her mate.

"Does that reaction mean that you wouldn't stay home and take care of any children we may someday have?" Carolyn said with great innocence.

The Captain paused, realizing that although couched in innocence, his answer needed to be well thought out. "No, that is not what I said."

"Daniel, you had best be quiet before you get yourself in trouble," advised Sucellos.

"Perhaps you are right," the Captain said and shut his mouth.

"Mr. Mulder, you can choose whatever you want, and you have, your choice is acceptable." He gave Mulder an understanding smile. "If you want to be that, then you may. You will not lose any of your other sets of knowledge or skill. It is a noble thing to raise a child."

"Good, yeah, good." He grinned up at Sucellos. "Can I get a newer mini-van?"

Daniel smacked him on the back of the head.

"Ow!"

"Fox! This is about potential life changing events, not cars."

"Besides, Mulder, we can afford our own."

Sucellos just laughed. "You are an entertaining group of people, I have to say that." His smile faded as he turned to Daniel, the last of the group to answer Sucellos. "And last, but certainly not least, Daniel. Well, my boy, what is it that you would like to do? All of the others have stayed close to what they have been doing in their present life? Will you be the same? Will you return to the sea?"

The spirit watched his protégé expectedly, but the Captain remained silent.

"Daniel?" he prodded.

"I am reluctant to answer."

The ancient spirit regarded him with concern and noticed that Carolyn Gregg was fidgeting quietly by his side. He hoped the Captain's answer would not be hurtful to that amazing woman that had remained by his side through everything.

"Daniel? We are waiting."

"Very well." The Captain stood tall and clasped his hands behind him and turned to regard Sucellos with a steely gaze. "You have already allowed me to maintain my knowledge of the sea along with appropriate new knowledge to assist me with any seafaring career I may wish to have, either merchant and military."

Carolyn gave an internal sigh. This wasn't what she wanted, but it wasn't fair for her to hold him back if he truly wanted to return to sailing. They would need to discuss how this would work, and how much time he planned to spend away, but she would somewhat reluctantly support him. She was keeping her profession after all, he should be allowed to keep his as well if it was what he desired.

Sucellos raised an eyebrow in question. "You will take up sailing again?" There was slight disapproval in his tone.

"Perhaps someday…but not yet." He swallowed, and his expression grew uncertain. "There is something else that I want to do, something I want to try…but blast! It seems so unmanly!"

Carolyn gripped his arm. "Daniel, are you saying?"

"Yes, blast it. I want to attempt to be a chef, to have my own restaurant."

Sucellos mouth gaped open in astonishment.

"Close your blasted mouth! You look like a fish out of water!" He snapped at the elder spirit.

Then Sucellos laughed. He threw back his head and laughed, long and hard, but it was a laugh filled with love and laughter. After a minute he wiped his eyes.

"Oh, Gods, I never expected that. Out of this entire group, you are the one who changed his mind on his profession?"

"I do not wish to forget about it, much like the others I may use it someday. But, for the moment I find that I wish to remain closer to home, closer to my wife." He pulled Carolyn close and looked into her eyes, his filled with warmth and love. "If that is all right with her?"

Mutely, Carolyn nodded.

"We have a few things to work out, my love, and I want to assure you that I have every intention of doing so. It will be far easier to do that if I am not gone for months at a time, don't you think?"

"It sounds wonderful, but Daniel, are you certain?"

"I promise you, my love, I have never been more certain of anything." He laughed. "Maybe not the profession choice, but being here with you, I have no doubt."

He turned back to Sucellos. "A chef it is."

"Fair enough. I will set up the capital for you to set up your restaurant, but you will have to do the work."

"I would expect so."

The spirit waved a hand expansively at the group. "You will, of course all receive a stipend to help you with your goals." He offered them a smile and soon the group of them was hugging each other and patting each other on the back in congratulations.

Sucellos cleared his throat until the group stopped to look at him. "There is one more thing…"

"I knew it," Daniel said. "There's always a catch."

"It's a small thing, something I mentioned before. There may be, from time to time, some paranormal … situations that we need help with."

"And you want us to help?" Mulder asked, exchanging a knowing look with Scully.

"Of course, he does," Daniel scowled.

"Oh, don't be so upset. It will be a rare thing, but on occasion we need the help of people on the physical plane and there is no one more qualified than the lot of you because of your expertise."

The group regarded one another, shrugged and looked back to the spirit. Daniel spoke for the lot of them. "Very well, we agree."

"Excellent! Then we are done." Sucellos stood up and bowed to them.

"That's it?" Scully asked. "Just like that?"

"Just like that." He agreed and began to make a gesture to disappear when the Captain stopped him.

"Sucellos, may I have a word with you in private?"

He seemed surprised but readily agreed. "Of course, my boy. If you will excuse us," he bowed, and he and Daniel disappeared.

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 _AN: We are nearing the end; a couple of more chapters and we will be done. Thanks for reading._


	11. Chapter 11

_AN: This story is almost done – thanks for reading._

 _Warning: If you are offended by adults having intimate moments you should not read this chapter._

 **Chapter 11**

The Captain found himself standing next to Sucellos on a cliff overlooking the ocean. He stared at the waves, and then the distant sea, recognizing the part of him that longed to once again be there, be in command of his own ship and his destiny. But the part that loved Carolyn was larger and that was his present just as the sea was his past, and oddly he felt somewhat content with that.

"What do we need to discuss?"

Daniel regarded the higher spirit and was surprised to find warm tendrils of friendships, although he had been a frequent pain in the ass, he was also extremely helpful.

"I have another favor to ask."

"Which is?" Sucellos turned to him with a curious expression.

"I want a ship, a relatively modest ship. One that can be handled by a small crew but sturdy enough to survive ocean travel in my capable hands."

Sucellos eyes twinkled in amusement. "Are you breaking your promise to your lovely wife?"

"I'm doing no such thing! In fact, this is about her. I have had trouble…adapting to being human again."

"Go on," the other spirit encouraged with a nod of his head.

"I am doing somewhat better," he admitted gruffly.

"And?"

"And I'd like to take her on a sea voyage, a sort of honeymoon as it were. Since I am a real man now we need some time together."

"You do want a real marriage with her."

"Why would you think otherwise? After all that she has done for me, all that she has given up?"

"It's not just gratitude."

"No! Why would you think that? She is everything to me. I love her," he finished simply.

"Excellent. She is a rare and remarkable woman. I will grant your request. You will have knowledge of your vessel and a small crew to sail it. You will need to interview them yourself, but they will come to you."

"Do I get to keep the vessel after we return?"

"That is up to you. It is yours. Keep it or sell it, it matters not to me."

"Good, very good." He shifted a bit uneasily and then turned to his elder. "And I want to thank you for all that you've done for Carolyn, for my friends Fox and Dana, and for me. I know you didn't have to do any of it and that some of the other elder spirits will consider it meddling, but I thank you."

"You are most welcome, my boy." He smiled at the Captain. "You do realize that I was serious when I said I may need your help in the future?"

"Yes, I know that. It will be most interesting without the ghostly abilities that I am so familiar with."

"Some of them will come back to you given time. Due to the length of your demise we were unable to completely restore you to the human you used to be. Technically you are mostly human with some ghostly traits."

"Hmm. I suppose I will deal with that when I must."

"A good philosophy." He reached out and shook Daniel's hand. "I will be in touch, but until then, happy sailing."

Daniel grinned at him and in a surprise move, reached out and grasped him in a tight, manly hug.

"You're welcome," Sucellos said when he was released. "Take care of your family."

"On that score, have no doubts."

The elder spirit nodded and vanished, and with a sigh of contentment, Daniel made his way back to the house.

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One month later the bench on the porch of Gull Cottage swung slowly back and forth as Scully rested against Mulder as they watched the sun set over the ocean. They exchanged a sweet kiss, and with a happy smile, he rested his hand on the slight swell of her belly.

"I can't wait to meet her," he said.

"Why do you think it's a her?"

"We already have a boy, we need a mini-Scully now."

"That's not very scientific." She paused and looked into his eyes. "And if it's a boy?"

"Then I'll be equally happy." He shook his head and placed both hands on her stomach. "How can there be another person in there?"

Scully laughed. "Well, I'm barely showing. Give me a few months and I'll be waddling around again." She said with a grimace.

"Really? I can't wait!"

"You want to see me fat?"

"Fat? Scully, it's the miracle of our child! And this time I'll be there for the entire thing, and this time everything will be normal." He laughed. "Well, as normal as it can be for us."

"As long as you don't go running off anywhere."

"Dana, I'm done with that, no more conspiracy theories. An ancient ghost has told me they have it in hand, so why should I doubt him?" He scratched his chin. "Though it would be fun to see them irritate the aliens."

"No. You're not going anywhere. I need you around, with me, and with William."

"And the baby."

"Of course."

Mulder bent down and started talking to her stomach. "Do you hear that, little one? Your Mommy wants me to stay home with you, to take care of you. Should I do it?" He grinned up at his wife. "I think I will. I want to be a house husband. A kept man."

"A kept man? Really? Hmm." She eyed him with appraising eyes. "And where should I keep you?"

"That's up to you. I'm good for anything." He looked around him. "Should we stay here tonight?"

"Why not. You are the property manager while the Captain and Carolyn are gone. And we're here."

"Yeah, it's kind of like a second home, isn't it?"

She nodded and leaned back against him. "I wonder how they're doing?"

"Probably great. I'm glad that Danny found a way back to humanity. I never thought how hard that could be for him."

"Neither did I. It makes sense though."

"I guess."

"So, when are you going to take me on a honeymoon?"

"What?" Mulder sat up in surprise. "We had one."

Scully snorted. "Barely. Certainly nothing exotic."

"You want exotic? You never said anything."

"We weren't settled. Now that we are." She shrugged.

"Hmm. I think that's a great idea. Let's ask Danny and Carolyn when they get back. I'm sure they'd watch William while we're gone, and we won't be taking a cruise that lasts months."

"We'll see how far along I am by the time they return."

"Fair enough. We'll get to it, Scully. I promise."

"Good." She snuggled against him again. "I wonder how they are."

"I'm sure they're fine, probably having a wonderful time."

"I'm glad. They deserve to be happy. So do we."

"I can't wait until they get back, I want to hear all about their trip."

"I wonder when they'll be back, they said three months, but maybe longer?"

Scully shrugged." I wonder where they are…"

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Nestled within the warmth of Daniel's arms, Carolyn realized she was very happy and opened her eyes to find herself staring into deep pools of blue, filled with love and amusement.

"You slept in quite late, my love. Any reason for that?" He asked, as his supple fingers began to play over her breasts.

"You know perfectly well what the reason is, Daniel Gregg!" she snapped, though she was obviously play acting.

"And what would that be?" his low baritone voice caressed her ears and she relished the sound of it. She placed her head against his chest and heard the strong sound of his heartbeat beneath her ear and sighed.

"My love?"

"You are alive, Daniel."

"Yes, well, I thought we had established that quite spectacularly on our sojourn in the tropics."

"I know, but I'm so happy about it. You're real, and your mine." She placed her hands on his chest, feeling the muscles beneath and smiled.

"Shall I prove to you once again how much I love you?"

"Daniel, we haven't even gotten out of bed for the day!"

"Exactly my point. We don't have to worry about removing those bothersome clothes. We are already prepared."

"Prepared? For what?" She blinked at him in innocence and he growled into her ear.

"You make me positively mad with desire for you, Carolyn Gregg. And I will have you."

"Not if I have you first," she murmured.

"My love, you have no idea what you do to me."

"I think I do," she said and took him in hand.

"Carolyn," he gasped.

"Having a little difficulty?"

"A big difficulty," he groaned. "Please unhand me so that we may do this properly."

"Such polite talk as our parts become intertwined," she whispered in his ear.

"Enough sass, you saucy wench!" He pulled her to him and began to devour her in a searing kiss that obliterated both their senses until they came up for air. They relished the moment of their joining and then then he began a hard rhythm, eager to finish their union.

"Ohh, Daniel," she moaned. "Yes, love, yes…."

He felt her suddenly clench and tighten around him and he groaned, his release coming within seconds of hers.

He rolled over to his side of the bed and took her in his arms, happy beyond belief.

"Are we ever going to get out of this bed?" Carolyn asked, amusement in her voice.

"I do not think so, my love. At least not anytime soon."

"We have to eat."

"Point."

"And we will be in Jamaica tomorrow."

"Maybe then we can get out of the cabin," he agreed, sleep beginning to overtake him.

"The sex is better now," she murmured, snuggling against his chest.

He mumbled something incoherent and they let the tendrils of sleep claim them once again.

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 _AN: Thanks for reading – one more chapter left._


	12. Chapter 12

_AN: This is the last chapter of this story – I hope you enjoyed it. I have Ghost Files 5 – a short story ready to go and I will post it in a couple of weeks. I plan to do GF 6 as well but that is at least a year away as I have to write it! I expect it will be novel length and the same kind of story tone as Ghost Files 1. Thanks for reading!_

 **Chapter 12**

 **Five months later**

The ship, the Luck of the Irish docked in Schooner Bay on a beautiful sunny fall day. Scully, Mulder and William were on hand to meet Carolyn and Daniel and drive them back to Gull Cottage. With Mulder's help Scully, now six months pregnant, made her way down to the dock where she could see her friends disembark. The ship was tied off to its moorings by the small crew, and then members of the crew began to bring out the luggage of their Captain and his wife.

They heard his voice before they saw him. The Captain stood proudly on the foredeck of his ship, seeming like a figure from a bygone age and larger than life. His rigid pose was broken by the melodic sound of Carolyn's voice from nearby. They watched as she came up from behind him and hugged him. He turned in her arms and kissed her warmly, not caring who saw him.

"Look at that!" Scully poked Mulder. "He was never that open before."

"It seems that he's solved his problems."

Captain! Carolyn!" Scully called.

"Danny! Carolyn!" echoed Mulder.

Wasting less time than his parents, William launched himself up the gangplank and into first the Captain's arms, and then Carolyn's.

"So glad you're back! I missed you!" William said, hugging them tightly.

They looked over to see his parents making their way onto the deck more slowly, and Carolyn gasped as Scully's obvious state. "Dana!"

"I know, I'm huge! Blame it on him. And I still have three months to go."

"Are you all right? Is everything good with you?" Carolyn hugged her friend.

"Well, except for the fact that I'm waddling already, I'm fine."

"Just one?"

"Oh, thank God, yes. Just one. One very large baby." She smacked Mulder. "His fault."

"Hey! You were there too."

Scully suddenly paused, her eyes opening wide in surprise as she released Carolyn from her hug. "Am I imagining things?"

"No." Carolyn smiled happily and held her arm out to Daniel who took it and kissed it with great ardor.

"Danny?" Fox queried. "You look like the fox in the hen house. What's going on?"

"Mulder, it seems our child is going to have a cousin of sorts."

"A cousin? What?" He wrinkled his brow for a moment until Scully's meaning set in and he looked at the Gregg's in surprise. "Carolyn? Danny? Are you…"

"Yes, I'm pregnant," she announced, beaming like a lighthouse beacon. "It didn't take him long once he embraced being human again."

"Quite." Daniel stood proudly, quite pleased with himself.

"You've been gone five months. How long?" Scully asked.

Carolyn and Daniel grinned at each other. "I'm four months along. And I needed to come home. Have you ever had morning sickness on a moving ship? I don't recommend it," she blanched at the thought.

"Tell them the rest of it," Daniel stroked his chin, entirely too full of himself.

"Ignore him, he's far too pleased with himself about this."

"And why shouldn't I be? I will be around the entire time to be with you throughout the pregnancy and to see my children born."

Fox was sure his hearing was good, but he asked anyway. "Children? As in more than one?"

Carolyn nodded, almost giddy with happiness. "Twins. We're having twins."

She entwined her hand with the Captain's again and they kissed.

"Too many babies," William commented with a scowl. "Can we please go home now?"

The adults laughed and they all made their way back to the car. It was indeed time to take their growing families back home.

THE END

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AN: This is the end of this story but one more to be posted soon. Thank you for reading.


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